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furederiko · 7 years ago

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Today's Random-News-Digest is of course related to the happenings of San Diego Comic Con International 2017. Some recent news after that event are also included. This is just part 1 of 2 though, with the second arriving... hopefully soon (the plan is tomorrow, but we'll see). LOL.

Death Note

I believe by now, fans of the original Japanese franchise (manga nor anime) should STOP wishing for a faithful and bit-by-bit adaptation in this Hollywood movie. At the very least, it might be best to NOT even expect it to be one. Director Adam Wingard brought some of his cast to Netflix first Hall H panel for SDCC 2017 (on July 20th), and once again stressed out that this movie is 'his personal take' on the source material. He even said he was interested to work on it, with the goal to "breath new life into a great premise". That pretty much summed it up, if you ask me. Wingard was accompanied by Margaret Qualley, Lakeith Stanfield, Masi Oka, and obviously, lead actor Nat Wolff who said that he wrote his own 'Death Note' as soon as he got the part. Creepy... much? Actor Willem Dafoe didn't attend, by his voice was featured to present a special clip from the movie.

The clip depicted the first meeting of Wolff's meek and angsty Light Turner and Dafoe's sinister-looking but clown-like 'shinigami' (God of Death) Ryuk. Light opens the 'Death Note', and Ryuk unveils himself to the boy, taunting him to write the name of his bully, Kenny Doyle. And the rest is history. For the clip, and not Doyle. No way Netlix going to spoil the movie's first R-rated scene, right? LOL. Said footage, which has been made available by Netflix via their Youtube channel, is precisely another (the first being the American cast and setting) solid proof to why this is not a direct adaptation of the manga. While Light and Ryuk still retain traces of their manga/anime characterization, they really feel like a different incarnations. Rather than consciously accepting the book, it felt like this version of Light was being 'tricked' to use it instead. I could be wrong on this, because I'm not an avid fan of the manga/anime, but I honestly remember it... differently. Also, this Light is giving off a strong vibe of Jughead from "Riverdale" if he was pushed too far, so picture that if you will. Ryuk was more or less similar to the source material, thanks to Dafoe's eerie vocal-tone. But the design... made it a bit hard to fear, nor even be wary of him. And here I am remembering how the anime Ryuk gave me nightmares for a good while when I saw him for the first time.

Wingard stated that audience can expect to see 'humor' in this movie too, so it won't be all-out horror. To put it simple, this movie will have its own 'dark comedy'. Hmmm... I'm not really sure what to say about that. I have to admit, I'm really curious to see this movie. Yet on the other hand, I'm not fully sold about it, for reasons I can't even really tell. The early reviews didn't sound too bad, but also NOT too good. So it hasn't really cleared out this personal doubt of mine. Go ahead and read them, perhaps it might convince you... better. "Death Note" arrives on Netflix, August 25th, 2017.

Spawn

Are you a fan of "Spawn", was disappointed by the 1997's movie (for the record, I thought it was okay, even if I never managed to get past the first half LOL), and has been itching to get a modern live action movie adaptation? Well, then you're in luck. Todd McFarlane has personally announced that he will be writing and also directing a new R-rated movie for Blumhouse Studio! If that wasn't clear enough, McFarlane is THE series own creator. This project has been pitched as a low-budget horror movie, and it's really an intriguing take on what's supposed to be a CG-heavy movie. Guess who he wanted to play the lead character, an NYPD detective named Twitch Williams? Leonardo Dicaprio. Wow, that's a really TALL order... for a now Oscar winner actor. Let's just see if it pans out.

Fantastic Four

Quite surprisingly, 20th Century FOX didn't brought out their Marvel franchise like "Deadpool 2" or "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" to their SDCC panel this year. Instead, they brought the sequel to "Kingsman" which I will talk about in the next category. That doesn't mean the studio weren't making headlines though. In the panel of the TV series "LEGION" (which I will also talk about later in the TV section... *sigh*) that took place July 20th in Ballroom 20, showrunner Noah Hawley made a major announcement. He's developing a movie for FOX, and it's going to be about... "Doctor Doom". That's not the title of course, but I'll use that instead.

Honestly, I'm not even sure how to react about this. As proven by his hit series "Fargo" and also "LEGION", Hawley is indeed a name you can trust. So the prospect of him working on a Marvel title for the big screen, would make his devoted fans cheer. On the other hand, do we really NEED another Doctor Doom story? FOX have tried to work with this character twice, and both failed miserably (though I'd gladly argue at least Julian McMahon's version was still much better than Toby Kebbell's horrendous version in that awful 2015 movie). So why, pray tell WHY must they continue milking this character eventhough the well of potential is pretty much dry? And that's where I'm starting to get a little pissed off. It's more than clear than FOX will do ANYTHING to keep the "Fantastic Four" copyright from automatically reverting to Marvel. The 2015 "Dis4ster Four" was a good example of this annoyingly negative behavior, and now this.

Making a Doctor Doom movie without a Fantastic Four, would be similar to what SONY is doing with Spider-Man-less Venom. It feels like a FATAL mistake. Would Victor von Doom work in a solo spin-off too, much like what they did with "Logan" and "Deadpool"? In the comics, the answer might easily be YES. But this is a movie, and I need not to remind you, FOX has an infamously BAD track-record in adapting this amazing antagonist to live action. So yeah, should I be cheering, or should I be jeering at this 'idea'? I can't even answer that. I don't think anyone in their right mind would! Oh well, let's just see how this develops. But really, this spells... DOOM!

Barbie

Have you been wondering where Anne Hathaway went? It felt like she somewhat faded away from mainstream publicity after singing herself towards an Oscar win... and got married. She's probably taking more Indie projects like "Collosal" though, and American indie movies don't really get much spotlight in a far away land like my country. But we can expect this to change in the near future with a potential high profile project on the way.

Latest report has it that she's currently in talks to star as in the live action "Barbie" movie. This Mattel toy line project has previously circled Amy Schumer for the lead role, who has to drop it due to scheduling conflicts. Director Alethea Jones has been brought into negotiation, after being handpicked by Hathaway herself. Assuming the plot of the movie stays the same, it will tell the story of a woman realizing she doesn't fit into the perfect land of Barbies and thus journeys to the real world. So basically, "Enchanted" part Deux, which I think is a really good fit for her. With this project (assuming she takes it), as well as the "Ocean's 8" spin off, I think we can expect Hathaway to be back in the spotlight once again. "Barbie" is currently set for a June 29th, 2018 release, but that is subject to change to match with Hathaway's schedule.

Kingsman

Okay, let's leave that bizarre Doctor Doom reality aside, and talk about what's likely going to be good... "Kingsman: The Golden Circle"!!! The cast of the sequel attended the FOX panel, and entertained audience with a chug of beer and fresh mind-popping second trailer. And wow, was it really good! The actions, and all the style and swaggers? It was SOLID for me. Oddly, eventhough I've been a fan of Taron Egerton's Eggsy and his classy team of Kingsman, I'm slowly growing a weird fondness to the American counterpart instead: the Statesman. Particularly, that hispanic cowboy character with the electric lasso rope who is played by none other than Pedro Pascal. He's a real scene stealer in this trailer, and to think that he's not even getting his name top-billed for the movie. Ouch! "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" is set to be released on September 22nd, 2017. And it's TOTALLY on my watch list!

By the way, there's also an interesting animated short where Eggsy runs into... the infamous Sterling Archer from the FXX series "Archer"! If you're a fan of both worlds, make sure you see it. Because well, it's hillarious!

James Bond

You want a more serious, non-comic-adaptation spy movie? Then well... "Bond 25" (obviously a placeholder title) has been announced. The Hollywood Reporter first delivered the news, before it was officially confirmed by Eon Productions. Yes, the 25th James Bond movie has gotten a release date, of November 8th, 2019. Meaning two years from now.

Unfortunately, that's pretty much the whole content of the news. There were no details whatsoever. Thus everyone got pushed into this weird 'curious' mode, with plenty of important questions being thrown around. What is the movie's title and/or subtitle? Does the movie have an actor? Is Daniel Craig really returning, and if he's not... who's the replacement? Will we be getting a female Bond, following what happens to the hit series "Doctor Who"? Come again, which studio has won the distribution bid? Because I totally haven't caught that announcement. Many sites began developing their own take, or should I say 'theories' about this announcement, and well... for now, they are nothing more than that, theories. Some have said that Craig is a done deal. Other said that the franchise will be sold off after this one movie. Then again, until there's another official confirmation (said to be announced at a later date), it's pretty much anyone's guess, right? So yeah... perhaps we should let it slide for now, and just look forward for "Kingsman" for the time being.

LEGO Movies

2nd trailer for the "The LEGO NINJAGO Movie" was premiered in the SDCC 2017 panel, and was later made available online by Warner Bros Animation. And well... I'm still mixed about it. The pseudo-brick animation style of "The LEGO Movie" is very clear here, moreso than "The LEGO Batman Movie"... particularly with that hybrid scene featuring a real life CAT. Which I'm positive wasn't CGed (assuming it's not the case of "The Jungle Book"). So fans of that first movie will be thrilled.

But at the same time, this felt like a drastic difference compared to the hit TV series. And that is the part that's not working for me. As I've said once before, having been invested with the show for SEVEN Seasons (which is a great achievement, since I normally wouldn't go pass Season 2 for other shows), it's just hard to make good sense out of this... 'ALTERNATE UNIVERSE' version. I'm not even sure how I feel about seeing Dave Franco's Lloyd as an awkward high schooler, with the others being hi classmates. It just screamed too... "Power Rangers"-y to me, and I truly never expected them to go that route *sigh*. Not to mention, Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" was just grating on my nerves, no matter how appropriate it was used to depict Lloyd's fractured relationship with Garmaddon (which seems to be the core plot of the movie).Perhaps, this movie is intended for those with ZERO experience in the franchise, then? Likely so. Anyways, whether you're digging this or not, "The LEGO NINJAGO Movie" will still arrive on September 22nd, 2017. Let's just see how the critics and audience will react to this version.

Ready Player One

If Walt Disney has critically-praised director Ava DuVernay and her "A Wrinkle in Time", then Warner Bros' secret weapon is none other than... legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg and his "Ready Player One". Nope, by all means, I'm not pitting these two people and their totally different movies. I just need to point out how they are SIMILAR to one another. Because both are working on a movie based on a supposedly famous and fan-favorite novel that... I haven't had the slightest idea about. No seriously, I have been seeing these titles being headlined every now and then, yet I was totally clueless about them. Were they good? Don't ask me. I've never even heard them before, so all I did was scratching my head wondering how they ended up being so highly talked-about. One thing for sure, it wasn't until I've seen the first trailers to those movies that I could say... "Aaaah, so THAT's what this book is all about". That's a genuine LOL moment right there.

Since I've dished out about my confusion for "A Wrinkle in Time" last week (thanks to the movie making a big splash on D23 Expo 2017), this time I'll shashay into the second title. Mainly because the movie was among the major features of WB's SDCC Hall H panel, alongside "Blade Runner 2049" and of course DC Films (which I will talk about in the next category). Spielberg attended the section of this panel with book writer and co-screenwriter Ernie Cline, co-screenwriter Zak Penn, and cast members Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn and T.J. Miller. The director shared his thoughts about the movie, as well as presenting the first official teaser. Since this is WB, obviously we could easily expect said video to arrive online right after the panel, and of course it did. Exclusives footage for attendees? That's not their thing... LOL

Turns out, "Ready Player One" is like a live action version of "The LEGO Batman Movie", or Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph". It's Cline's love letter to the 80s, and also the technology of Virtual Reality. The trailer didn't shy away from this premise, as it showed plenty of nostalgic stuffs like "The Iron Giant", Lara Croft, Freddy Krueger, DC characters to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", and all. Though of course, most of them are WB's own properties, no surprise about that. LOL. We get to experience this massive virtual space where everything collides, through Sheridan's Wade Wyatts, a young man living in the year 2045. He'll go through a fantasy reality-bending adventure to locate an Easter Egg inside the OASIS, because whoever fins it, gains control of the virtual reality world. That kind of stuff. Yes, it's a grand concept, and the trailer seemed to wow practically everyone.

But I'm probably in the minority here to say that, it was not that... 'mindblowing' for me. Perhaps, because I've already seen this concept before, over and over again through other media? I'm not sure. It's the case of "The Hunger Games" I think, where western audience saw it as a new concept, whereas it's basically a 'been-there done-that' in Japanese entertainment. So in a way, I've been there before, hence it didn't feel that original no matter how glorious the CG effects looked. But don't let this subjective opinion ruins your hype. Not everyone saw "Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle", right? If you're digging the vibe of this movie, then good for you! If you're not, then we're on the same team. There's one for everyone after all! "Ready Player One" arrives on March 30th, 2018. And yes, that's 3 weeks after "A Wrinkle in Time". Coincidence much? Hmmm...

DC Films

"Justice League" is set to be released on November 17th, 2017. So should we even be surprised to see WB bringing the core cast to their panel? Nope. Minus Henry Cavill though, since he's busy filming "Mission: Impossible 6" with a troubling thick mustache (why? more in this later). Beside, he wasn't even shown in the latest appetizer official poster (available through the official twitter account). To which I'm not a fan by the way, even if it's been given almost unanimous praises all over the globe. "You can't save the world alone", the tagline said. A sarcastic statement towards Cavil's Superman's for "Man of Steel", perhaps?

Oh, and of course there would be a new trailer. Duh? Remember, this is WB we're talking about. If the first one that Zack Snyder (when the absent director was still solely in charge) debuted in last year's SDCC showed action scenes, CG flares, photoshoot poses, with a relatively small amount of story, this one had more balance between character interactions and battle sets. Longer duration too, clocking at more than 4 minutes! And yes, that means more of J.K. Simmons' Commissioner Gordon and Jeremy Iron's Alfred Pennyworth. To be honest, I'm also not a fan of this trailer. It didn't really made me want to see the movie, which has become a constant issue between me and WB's marketing department. I DO like it better than the poster though, because it's clearly taking many good cues from "Wonder Woman". In many ways, it also felt... a bit similar to Joss Whedon's "The Avengers". That scene with an antagonist arriving near a macguffin? Or the heroes talking in a meeting room esque setting? Yeaaah. No surprise, because the movie's pretty much in Whedon's hand right now. Sadly, similar to "Ready Player One", had this was released before the 2012 Marvel Studios movie, I would've responded in a much better manner. For this time, it felt like an odd dejavu instead.

However, the biggest takeaway from the panel, would be the other non-Justice League-related news. Because WB confirmed a parade of projects currently in development, as well as some new projects in the works. There are 8 big titles in the works! It's currently unclear if they are chronologically ordered, but they are: - "Shazam!". Prior to the panel, "Shazam!" was already reported to be starting production in early 2018. If not in January, in February. So it's safe to assume it might be released in 2019, that's the goal anyway. While WB hasn't revealed, or even cast the lead actor just yet (perhaps, Armie Hammer?), David F. Sandberg has been assigned to direct. - "Flashpoint". The new official title for Ezra Miller's solo movie. After losing directors over and over again, WB has decided to go ahead and just do an adaptation of the massive storyline. And this might be the most unexpected and shocking reveal of them all, that immediately raised up concerns and speculations in the fanbase. Why? In the comic, "Flashpoint" was used to... RESET the DC Universe!!! The event in that movie, ultimately created a new timeline, that sequed DC Comics into the New 52 era. Does this imply that... WB is attempting to do the same with their live action movies? So EARLY in the game? Is this their way to fix the mess that was caused by Snyder? Or a direct response to Marvel Studios' sequel to "Spider-Man: Homecoming"? Hmmmm. It's clear that this movie won't make it to fulfill its initial March 16th, 2018 release, due to Miller's commitment with "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2". But there's also no telling if the studio would be able to rush it for a 2018 release. No director is currently attached, but safe money is leaning towards Phil Lord and Christopher Miller after their departure from "Star Wars". - "Wonder Woman 2". This year's "Wonder Woman" is DC's first critical and financial success since "The Dark Knight", so a direct sequel is practically a no-brainer. Not to mention, director Patty Jenkins have been working on a script with Geoff Johns, that will put Gal Gadot's Diana Prince in the 80s. Jenkins might even return to direct the movie, though that part was not yet confirmed. This movie has recently been confirmed for a December 13th, 2019 release. - "Suicide Squad 2". Just earlier this month, we have heard that Jaume Collet-Serra has been the frontrunner to direct the sequel. Will Smith and Margot Robbie are expected to reprise their roles as Deadshot and Harley Quinn. - "The Batman". Yes, looks like that IS indeed the official title. And we know that Matt Reeves will begin working on this title as soon as he's done promoting "War of the Planet of the Apes". Hot negative report (not rumor) was running rampant prior to SDCC 2017, that current Batman actor Ben Affleck might be walking out of the DC Extended Universe. Especially with the fact that Reeves won't be using Affleck's script that he has written with Johns. Thanks to that, Affleck had to blatantly give a public response. He pretty much confirmed his involvement as a lead actor in the solo Batman movie. Oddly, he never blatantly denied that he's leaving the DCEU after this movie. So in a way, that's just him smart talking his way out of difficult conversation. Suffice to say, it was NOT a nice moment. - "Batgirl". Whedon has openly revealed to IGN that he'll start working on "Batgirl" next year as well. Likely after his obligations to 'help a friend' with the post producton of "Justice League" is wrapped. - "Green Lantern Corps". I think... David Goyer was working on this? The movie had been given a 2020 release window in WB's old announcement. It's unclear if it will still keep up with this plan. - "Justice League Dark". Last we heard, Doug Liman has walked out of this title. But that was due to his conflicting schedules and commitment with other studios. Since this is the last title on the list, there's always a chance that he might be back on board. After all, WB needs the self-proclaimed 'greatest director' in the world, right?

These announcements sounded GRAND and AMBITIOUS and all... but should we really be excited about them? I'm not sure. It obviously caused mixed reaction in the internet, triggering plenty of questions in various media in regards to DC Films' long-term plan. The way I see it, WB was just the KING of big talk as usual... eventhough they don't really have a good track record of keeping up with their words. I honestly doubt the studio came fully prepared for this panel, and that those titles were merely another temporary placeholders that might come and go without certainty. Several titles that have been headlining in the medias for a while now, were conspicuously MISSING from the lineup. Remember Dwayne Johnson's much reported "Black Adam", Ray Fisher's supposed solo movie "Cyborg", "Justice League Part 2" that originally was set for a 2019 release, the heavily rumored "Man of Steel 2", and David Ayer's "Gotham City Siren"? Not to mention, a recent entry in the rumor circuit that talked about a Harley Quinn vs. Joker movie, that started as soon as SDCC began? Yeah, those titles were a no show. They might even be gone for good.

With WB only releasing one movie next year in form of Jason Momoa's "Aquaman", we should expect most of these newly announced title to arrive as soon as 2019. I hope they won't get carried away and act bullish by releasing 4 titles a year. Even Marvel Studios took almost 10 years before finally deciding to release 3 per year. Then again, that's certainly their main intention, especially if we put into account that they HAVE 4 release dates for 2020 now! Does this mean, we get the first 4 of those movies in 2019, then another 4 in 2020? I don't know how I can even begin to fathom that...

Also, WB just can't catch a break. After sort of 'debunking' (technically, that's just smart corporate talking) a previous rumor about Batffleck, another one already hit the studio as soon as SDCC 2017 was wrapped. Variety reported that the reshoot process for "Justice League" has been causing issues for the studio. This report was backed by The Hollywood Reporter, that called it 'substantial'. Apparently, the extensive extra production took a toll of $25 million, roughly the cost of a separate mid-budget movie! Budget for additional photographies in big budget Hollywood movies generally cost between $6-10 million. Production duration was also dragged on for roughly two months, causing scheduling headaches to its cast members. Momoa and Gadot had to spend 2 weeks worth, while Affleck is still filming new scenes this week. In the case of Cavill, as I've mentioned above, a special post-production budget will be required to digitally remove his natural mustache.

Thanks to this bizarre new scenario, Whedon would also be getting a producing and/or screenplay credit, due to him spending more time than planned to finish the movie and add much-needed 'connective tissue' between sequences As I said, the recent trailer strongly felt like his own "The Avengers", so I sincerely hope Whedon will be getting the credit he deserves. Will this movie be another case of "Suicide Squad" or "Fant4stic Four"? Or will it come out unscathed like "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" or "World War Z"? Here's hoping it's the latter case. We'll know the answer in November.

DC Television

When it comes to live action adaptations, the TV side of DC actually fared much better than the tumultuous DC Films. Even shows that wasn't a hit like "Legends of Tomorrow", slowly getting better and became a favorite. Not saying I'm a fan nor avid follower to those shows though. I'm just fully acknowledging that they are indeed, the more favorable ones. Especially when compared to Marvel TV's products. As each The CW shows had their own panel, a new cool-looking mashup trailer for them was released during SDCC 2017. One show that was included in it, is their upcoming adaptation of "Black Lightning", set to debut in 2018.

Ironically, Black Lightning has been publicly confirmed to be its own thing, and not part of the Arrowverse. So general audience seeing this trailer, might be getting the wrong idea about it. As for my impression on this new show? Well, superhero SHOW's fatigue aside, it's getting more and more clear that this show is definitely not my cup of tea. Not saying it's bad, the concept and overall look felt just about right. It's definitely in the standard of other The CW superhero shows. I just didn't feel a personal connection to warrant a regular viewing for it. After all, I'm more of an animated guy...

Speaking of animated, the "Young Justice" Q&A panel debuted the official character designs for the much-anticipated 3rd season. The season will be officially titled "Young Justice: Outsider", and the concept art includes Static, Kid Flash, Robin, Wonder Girl, Spoiler, Blue Beetle, Arrowette, Arsenal, Beast Boy, and a new character named Thirteen. The absence of several characters from Season 2 will surely make some fans wonder, and co-creator Brandon Vietti reassured that characters like Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy won't be completely absent since they are still part of the DC Universe.

Vietti also confirmed that the series, planned to be 26 episodes in total, will be streamed in a separate channel, not on Cartoon Network like several existing DC shows. "There’s more creative room here for more adult themes and more sophisticated and challenging stories for our characters", he said. It's still unclear what form will this stand-alone DC only streaming take. But I'm sure we'll be hearing about it in the near future.

X-Men Universe

I believe the upcoming X-Men series "The Gifted" had a panel during SDCC 2017. That's because a new trailer has debuted for the show. But since I couldn't care less about it, I won't be talking about it.

Instead, I'll talk about FX's "LEGION" instead. First season for the Dan Stevens' starring mini series, was a huge hit. Even I have to admit, that I didn't see it coming. Showrunner Noah Hawley and the cast were present at Ballroom 20 for their panel, and of course talked about the upcoming Season 2. Saïd Taghmaoui, who was featured in the WB's "Wonder Woman" movie, has been announced to be playing another 'face' of Amahl Farouk, a.k.a. Shadow King. In the first season, this supernatural entity (I don't recall that he's a mutant, no, but I could be mistaken) was played by both actress Aubrey Plaza, and Stevens himself, since he's part of David Haller's consciousness. It's going to be interesting to see how Farouk cooks up his creepy plot in the new season, especially because he's getting a new form. We'll just have to wait and see the 10-episodes sequel when it arrives in 2018.

NOTE: By the way, I didn't consider this to be a Marvel talk, since it's developed and produced by FOX. Yes, the characters are Marvel's, but we all know that FOX never really cared about source material, right?

Netflix

No Marvel talk here either, so expect the category to be more... brief. LOL. Also, it's the reason why this category gets bumped down a few notch than usual. Though definitely not because it's lacking by all means.

The first full-length official trailer for "Stranger Things" Season 2 was debuted through their SDCC 2017 panel. And great goodness, things weren't looking good. I mean, in the show, due to Noah Schnapp's Will Byers death-defying experience in the "Upside Down". As many of us had suspected, Will's return to the real world might not be a good idea. Instead, it's likely he's opening up a gateway for more creatures from the supernatural place to visit and 'invade' the real world. CREEPY af!!! The panel itself could be seen as a success, with Patton Oswalt moderating, and Shannon Purser making a delightful surprise visit.

That suspenseful trailer did a really good job teasing the developments of the characters. We see pretty much everyone, including the new cast members like Paul Reiser's Dr. Owens, Dacre Montgomery's Billy, Sadie Sink's Mad Max, and others, as well as fan-favorite Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven who wrapped the video by discovering a way out... or should I say 'way back' to the real world. Go Eleven! Series creator the Duffer Brothers had promised the new season to be 'Bigger, Darker, Scarier' and it really showed. They had already mapped out the series end game, which could be even bigger than this, so that's certainly saying much. "Stranger Things" Season 2 arrives on October 27th, 2017, and obviously I can't wait to see it.

"Voltron Legendary Defender" also had its own separate panel, with producers Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, as well as voice actors Bex Taylor-Klaus and Tyler Labine making their appearances. Aside from debuting the official trailer for Season 3 (possibly the reason why it wasn't available in the official channel before), the team also announced voice actor A. J. Locascio as the voice of new antagonist Prince Lotor. Lotor will have four half-galra female generals as his aides. First episode of Season 3 was premiered exclusively for SDCC attendees.

The panel confirmed that the 7-episodes Season 3 will arrive on August 4th, 2017. That's a strange number, huh? I wonder if several episodes will be... I don't know, 50 minutes or more? Remember, the first season was only 11 episodes, but its first episode had the duration of 3 episodes. So in total, it was still 13 episodes like Season 2! Anyhoo, what I didn't expect was, the event also confirmed that a 4th season will arrive much much sooner than expected, in October 2017! I'm curious to why it's announced so early? Could it be... the final season? Hmmm...

Overall, Netflix had a generally successful presence throughout the event. Even if cult-favorite "Sense8" was a no-show despite its much applauded finale renewal, and David Ayer's "Bright" had mixed reception, the other panels were considered to be a win. They are taking over Hall H this year, and who knows what will happen next year and so on. One particular highlight was of course Marvel's "The Defenders". But since it's Marvel-related, that's a story for another day... or to be precise, another post!

One Piece

Now this is a news that would get any anime fans feeling... mixed. Mixed as in, a joy with a hint of concern, or anger with a touch of delight. It's your call.

Yahoo! Japan (via ComicBook.com) reported that... we'll be getting a live action Hollywood TV show for Eiichirou Oda's "One Piece" series!!! It was officially announced during the manga's 20th anniversary. Yay, or nay, I'm sure this will make you speechless. In one side, the cast of One Piece is as global as it can get, so having international cast would be VERY fitting compared to Japanese actors who pretend like they are foreigners. But on the other hand... seriously? This is a big title that requires massive special effects, particularly characters with the effects of those Demon Fruits. Don't forget the numerous islands, with their own quirky colorful inhabitants that hints towards huge production cost for makeup and costume. Can a TV show, with a really limited budget pull it off such tremendous challenge?

Marty Adelstein is set to be in charge, and Tomorrow Studios will be working on it. And this is where things get more... concerning. Adelstein is also the one working on that "Cowboy Beebop" TV Hollywood adaptation! And he even has already boasted... er, I mean admitted that this adaptation will be the most expensive TV shows ever made in the US. "I have been a fan of One Piece for 20 years. It is an honor to be entrusted with such an important work by Shueisha and Mr. Oda. I am enthusiastic to give my all to make One Piece succeed. I think this project could set a new record for the highest production cost in television drama history. The work's worldwide fame merits this scale of production.", was his official statement. Confident, but knowing the rating system and stingy budget of US networks, will this approach even work? He hasn't even proven his worth with "Cowboy Beebop", how can he be so bold about a more difficult one like this?

Thankfully, Oda has officially expressed that he has taken a great amount of time to consider this. So basically, he has given his seal of approval. His promise to not let down his fans, is definitely reassuring. Beside, Oda is notorious for speaking out if he's not pleased. Which means, as soon as he's not 'feeling it', I'm sure he'll immediately pull the plug. Thus the franchise is saved! LOL.

Professor Layton

"Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy" has been released last week! Have you played the game? Before you ask, nope, I personally haven't. Sure, it's available on iOS and Android for worldwide release, but unlike "Layton Brothers: Mistery Room", it's not free. So of course I haven't had the chance (nor money) to play it. Ahahaha... ^^;. Its Nintendo 3DS version is also currently only available in Japan, so there's that.

Thankfully, western fans who are holding out for an English 3DS version, can now rest at ease. LEVEL-5 has officially announced that it will be available very soon, in October. That's good news, albeit a bit odd considering the iOS and Android version have already been made available in foreign language. Why would it require 3 months to transfer the finished product to a 3DS cartridge, right? Oh well, the important thing is, you only to be patient just a few more months to experience Katrielle's adventure in your region-locked 3DS! Good for you...

Of course, if you don't want to wait that long, don't forget! The full version (consisting of 12 complete cases, and the entire set of additional mini games), and not some random scaled-down clone is already available on the App Store and Google Play for $15.99. Just make sure you cleared up the proper space on your smartphone before you download, okay! Because I have a feeling the size is going to be preeeetty BIG.

Sonic the Hedgehog

That cool-looking new antagonist for "Sonic Force" that was teased by SEGA last month? He has been given his own reveal trailer, as well as his own theme music! Yes, Infinite, is just one of the villains that Classic, Modern, and Custom Sonic will have to deal in this game. But there's no doubt that he's definitely the coolest of them all. At least for yours truly. "Sonic Forces" will be released this holiday for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Street Fighter

Three more character costumes have been made available for "Street Fighter V". Ibuki, Laura, and Rashid have received sports-themed alternate costume, and they should have been released alongside the latest update on July 25th. CAPCOM announced this on their "Street Fighter 30th Anniversary" panel at SDCC 2017. Ibuki got a volleyball-themed costume, while both Rashid and Laura got football-inspired ones, all available alongside a new DLC character Abigail. Visit Gematsu to see their individual pricing.

ARIKA

The company debuted 50 minutes worth of gameplay from their... 'Mysterious Fighting Game'. It's available online via their official channel. Seeing EX characters like Garuda, Hokuto/Shirase, and Kairi is nostalgic and all, but I can't help but feel that the whole gameplay looks... 'rough around the edges'. The design was a bit blocky, somewhat "Street Fighter IV" inspired, and the movement wasn't as smooth as the "Tekken" series. Even the first version of "The King of Fighters XIV" looked nicer somehow. But this new title is expected to be released next year, so the company still have plenty of time to work on the visuals and controls. Here's hoping we'll get clearer idea of what this is all about in the near future.

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