#We recently watched the lego Batman movie and bro looked over at me during the batjokes scenes talking about “that's suspicious that's weir

[monst]

Having a nemesis is such an intimate thing.

[furederiko]

After a whole month* of absence, the Random-News-Digest has returned! It's the 1st of the month and also for the year 2017. *) Technically, it's around 2 months, since my last R-N-D was published on December 12th, 2016.

NOTE: Starting with this post, expect to see several news to be put in a joint category. For example, all things related to Marvel Studios will be put as one section, while Marvel TV's shows will be a separate one. Occasionally, some will show up as a standalone though, it all depends on the situations and conditions. It's an attempt to make the post more... shorter and concised. That's the intention, at least. LOL.

Disney Live Action

Back in the 90s, the classic animated movie "Beauty and the Beast" had an original song by the same name, that became a huge memorable hit. With combination of powerful vocals by then-rising star Celine Dion, and well-known soul singer Peabo Bryson, the duet took the world by storm. I doubt there's even anyone who have never heard of this song. Which is why, it's a huge task for the current generation of singers to deliver this song with the same amount of heft, as part of this year's live action remake.

And that privilege has been given to Arianna Grande and John Legend, while Dion herself contributed a new solo song "How Does a Moment Last Forever" to the movie's soundtrack. Walt Disney Pictures officially released an audio-only VEVO for this 2017's version duet, and if you have ever had any doubts about the quality of both Grande and Oscar Winner Legend, then well... you can stop worrying. I admit, they don't sound like Dion and Bryson. But you know what? A good singer needs to make a song their own, and in that regard, Grande and Legend have succeeded. All the while, the classic vibe and feel of the romantic song remains in tact. Uhmm... scratch that, they also made it sound... modern too. Sure, the music feels oddly like... karaoke, but when Legend's voice came in I felt the exact same shivers I had when I listened to the original for the first time.

You can also listen to the song, while it's serenading the movie's Final Trailer. Yep, Disney has released one last marketing push for the movie, although in my opinion it's really NOT necessary. And trust me, I advise you (especially those who have NEVER seen the animated version) to NOT watch it. Because well... it practically spoiled like 80% of what's going to happen in it *sigh*. Thankfully, aside from a few seconds of Emma Watson singing "Something There", none of the musical numbers have been used in the trailers. Which is perfectly GOOD, because I prefer hearing them directly in the theatres. Okaaaaay... I might have spoken a little TOO SOON. The Golden Globe TV spot has already featured Watson's version of her Belle's solo number by the same title... "Belle". Dang it Disney, STOP IT... just STOP! I know it's completely my fault for running into that video, but pleeeaseee! Keep everything else a surprise, okay?! *sigh*

DC Films

In case you've been living under a rock (which is perfectly cool, by the way, it's your choice), or have been removed from modern civilizations for the past few weeks (which is... also cool, because sometimes a retreat to the wilderness IS necessary), actor Ben Affleck has stepped back from directing the next Batman solo movie. Yes, eventhough I believe that's part of the deal when he jumped in to play grumpy murderous Bruce Wayne for DC Films. Talking to Variety, Affleck stated that he chose to focus on the lead actor role and handed over the directorial duty to someone else. Why? Is it because the costume will be too uncomfortable for him to work both side? That's a possibility. Perhaps he went a little anxious after his much-buzzed movie "Live by Night" failed to please... practically everyone? Or is it because, there's a brewing storm behind "Justice League" that gave him... cold feet? No matter the reason behind it, I think this is a huge loss for a potentially-great movie.

Then again, not just the studio (as proven by them trusting Zack Snyder and David Ayer over and over again), apparently the fans are more desperate and concerned about having the movie MADE, instead of having the right people come in to ensure its QUALITY. Proof? Immediately after the news went large, many fansites wasted no time to speculate and fan-cast their favorite directors, whom they hope will replace Affleck in the directorial chair. Although I bet the seat is still warm, Affleck's name faded from everyone's head so quickly! My condolences to him for experiencing what Tim Miller had with the second "Deadpool" movie. So yeah, one thing for sure, that tentatively titled "The Batman" WILL definitely see the light of day. Right now, Warner Bros is actively looking for Affleck's replacement, assuming they want to be on time for their schedule to release the movie next year (alongside James Wan's "Aquaman" and Margot Robbie's "Gotham City Siren"), of course.

Meanwhile, the same thing isn't happening with the other movie, "The Flash". After two consecutive directors walked out due to 'creative differences', WB has decided to do a page-one rewrite of the script, which if I recall correctly was done by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Who, by the way, were initially considered to direct the movie too, before moving on to "Han Solo: A Star Wars Story" at Disney. Joby Harold, a guy whose name I'm NOT familiar with has been tasked to do this ordea... er, I mean responsibility. This means, highly likely it will NOT be released in 2018 as previously planned. Why? Not only things will be restarted from scratch, lead actor Ezra Miller has a commitment to star in the second installment of "Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them", and the production is expected to begin around July. As I've said in November, the earliest for him to start working in this movie is Fall 2017 for a release date of Winter 2018. But that was when there's an existing script ready to be filmed.

What's happening with "The Batman", "The Flash", and the wise delay of "Justice League 2" (should we even be surprised? They kept releasing more uninspiring still from the movie) only proves that WB has yet managed to have proper footings with their DC adaptations. Let's just hope that those are just minor necessary setbacks from the DC Universe in order to move smoothly in the future. After all, "Green Lantern Corps" has hired Justin Rhodes and everyone's favorite person David Goyer to write the screenplay, while "Shazam" and "Black Adam" have been reported to be made into separate movies to accommodate more of Dwayne Johnson's star-power.

LEGO Movies

Feel free to call this shameless bragging, but I trust my gut instinct. Many times it has proven to be correct. A recent good example of this, is my genuine hype as soon as I saw the first trailer for "The LEGO Batman Movie". Ignoring the obvious fact that I always have a soft spot for LEGO's animated adaptation, I had this feeling that the movie will be fantastic. Which was, a complete opposite to when I saw any (yes, all) of the live action DC Films so far (don't get me wrong, 'DC Films' obviously refers to ones released prior to Nolan's trilogy). Guess what? Critics are loving the movie too!

The Guardian called it "a relentlessly funny superhero movie". Variety called it as "kicky, bedazzling, and super-fun". Den of Geek said that it's "a second straight victory for the Lego franchise on the big screen", and similar to Polygon, likened it to the famous "The Dark Knight". IGN gave it an 8,5 out of 10 score. You can check out many other sites to read their thoughts on the movie. As of writing, its RottenTomatoes' accumulated score (remember, the site only aggregates score from various places, not rates their own) is sitting at a comfy 98% out of 40 critics. Something that neither "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad" were able to accomplish. Nope, both started out under 50%!!! Of course, this score will fluctuate in the coming days and weeks, and it is the final score that will actually count more. But really, this IS a great sign.

You know what is the lesson that I hope WB would learn from this success? HIRE THE RIGHT MAN for the job and RESPECT the source material! Stop relying on snobbish arrogant hacks like Zack Snyder, David Ayer, and the likes who wants to have their way without honoring the comics. Hire the right people and DC Films will no doubt be equally a success. And now that I think about it... on a lesser note, why not focus on animations instead? Back during the Bruce Timm era, their DC properties have been nailing the animated superhero market for years. Completely towering over the competitor Marvel by a huge margin. Yet they somehow decided to focus on the dark, gritty, and gloomy live action adaptations (thanks to New 52), with ripple effects that ran through many mediums, including the DC animation movies (starting with "Justice League: Flashpoint"). That's when DC direct-to-videos animated movies became... dull and boring as well. "The LEGO Batman Movie" is a return to the fun escapades, an easy proof of what DC should've done. This movie, alongside the carefree "Justice League: Action" series are exactly what WB needs for their DC properties! Assuming they want to win over fans of all ages, of course.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to watch this movie at the theatres. With the current financial condition, I will need to wait until the home video is released. But hearing positive praises and recommendations from critics is already enough to make me happy. As in, FINALLY, there's a theatrical DC movie that's worth-watching after "The Dark Knight". If you're not convinced just yet, check out the 'technical' "Behind the Brick" featurette for the movie, or the fun "Gotham Cribs" specially hosted by Batman and his... uhm, roommate Bruce Wayne (who gives some shirtless fanservice too... Wooooo!!! XD). Want a song instead? Check out the official LEGO Batman theme, in the tune of "Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie". Yes, even if you're not a DC fan, according to critics, if you loved "The LEGO Movie" then high chance you're going to love this movie as well!

To complement the movie's success... there's also a recent news regarding "The LEGO Ninjago Movie". Yep, a title that will be released this year, the one I've completely forgotten about. Just yesterday, USA Today exclusively shared sneak peaks of the movie, and well it looked... uhmm... weird. I didn't have issues when I first saw the image of Garmadon, or Sensei Wu. But when I saw the Ninja, I seriously gasped. Honestly? I'm NOT too keen on how they look... different compared to the TV ones. WHY the need to change their hairstyle? To make more merchandise? Also, do we need big name actors to bring them to life? What's the problem of using the exact voice cast of the TV series? Do their their names not... selling enough? I have to say, as a devoted fans of the franchise, this reveal somewhat annoyed me.

Yes. The report also confirmed the voice cast. I have to use the word 'confirmed' because apparently, these names have already been leaked/revealed back in June 2016. Courtesy of fansite Brickset, who stumbled upon the names during the Licensing Expo 2016. I'm genuinely surprised that it went off radar that easily, particularly mine, who had seen all six seasons of the show and can't wait to see more. Anyway, the cast consists of Jackie Chan as Sensei Wu, and the newly announced Justin Theroux as Garmadon the big bad. The ever talented Michael Peña will voice Kai, Kumail Nanjiani as Jay, Zach Woods as Zane, and Fred Armisen as Cole. Garmadon's son (assuming the movie follows the plot of the series) Lloyd is confirmed to be the lead protagonist, and will be voiced by Dave Franco. While Abbi Jacobson is set to voice the odd-haired Nya, who (once again, assuming it's similar to the series) is Kai's sister. While admittedly these are great names, somehow I feel like some of them are... voicing the wrong character. For example, I figure Peña should be the one doing Cole (considering many fans have likened the character as hispanic), while Franco's playful voice would be better as Jay or even Kai instead of Lloyd. Jackie Chan is a terrific actor, but him as Wu? Hmmm....

But that's not all that concerns me. It's what Franco said that made me worried. "They may be really cool as ninjas and the Ninjago world adores them, but at school they’re the geeks and nerds who are ignored.". At... SCHOOL? And NERDS? Huh? People who are clueless about the franchise might find this to be 'good', but I honestly wonder if fans would be pleased with these changes. I know I'm not *sigh*. Oh well, I can only hope this movie will not prevent the 7th season from happening, because I'm more looking forward to that one. "The LEGO Ninjago Movie" is set to arrive on September 22nd, 2017.

Marvel Studios

It's Super Bowl time of the year, a time where people came or tune in TV for sport, and movie studios used it to tag along for promotions. True to the earlier report, Disney released two new trailers for their upcoming movies. Everyone's easy guess, was that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is one of that, considering it's among the House of Mouse's first Summer movie of the year. And well, that was correct, with the other one belonged to "Pirates of the Carribean 5". Not long after USA Today released several new official images (which looked really good, especially Mantis), Disney officially released the Super Bowl trailer online.

It became the most watched and talked about trailer throughout the game, and true to director James Gunn's tease, fans have gotten their first look of Elizabeth Debicki's villainous Ayesha. To be honest, I never thought it's really that hard to imagine how she would look. Just photoshop Debicki with a golden skin, and you have Ayesha! Surprisingly though, she looked... a little different than the one shown in the official LEGO tie-in sets. Perhaps because in the trailer, she's covering her long wavy golden locks in that royal helme... er, tiara thingy? That might be the case. Don't believe me? Go ahead and check out the trailer's breakdown, courtesy of SlashFilm. Kurt Russel's Ego the Living Planet is the only character we have yet seen so far. Perhaps Marvel Studios is intent on keeping him longer in the dark to avoid... giving away too much of the story?

Marvel Studios also released a new official poster to accompany the trailer, and well... it also looked really good. Brilliantly artistic, I should say, because it works well with the 'Volume 2' title and also Chris Pratt's Star-Lord's personal signature. Despite looking funky, it does not go excessively beyond borderline ridiculous like those... uhm skwad ones (Yeeessh!!! who designed those?). Embargo for the set visits have also been lifted, and various entertainment sites have begun running their reports. Haven't had time to read these set visits, but will do it later today when I have the time. Or tomorrow. But to be honest, I don't need to know more about this movie. I'm already sold about it even before it is announced. LOL. With Gunn himself confirming on social media that Tyler Bates' score for the movie has been completed, it looks like the movie is very close to finish. After all, it will premiere earlier in various countries. I think it'll arrive in April here too! I'm personally curious and can't wait to hear responses from the early screening!

Skipping "Spider-Man: Homecoming", and moving on to "Thor: Ragnarok", director Taika Waititi has confirmed that actor Sam Neill will indeed have a role, albeit minor in his upcoming movie. And he's not alone as an alumn from "Hunt of the Wilderpeople", because he will be accompanied by another actor from the movie. Who is it? Waititi himself!!! LOL. In case you forgot, this quirky director is also an actor, and he did have a brief but really memorable part in that critically-acclaimed movie. Revealing what he played in "Hunt of the Wilderpeople" might be regarded as spoiler, so you've just got to see that movie yourself to know what it is (don't worry, it's HIGHLY recommended). But if you're looking for a quick sample to know whether the New Zealander can act or not, back in 2011 he played Hal Jordan's best friend in the critically-panned "Green Lantern". Arguably not the best example of his talent, but it'll suffice. Especially because he's one of the element that was good in that... uhm, 'bad' movie. My problem with "Thor: Ragnarok", is that up until now, we haven't had a teaser nor trailer for it! I was counting on the Super Bowl for the teaser, but that's not the case. So how the tone and everything else will fit is still everyone's guess. I do trust Marvel Studios though. I'm sure they fully believe in Waititi, so perhaps we should all just follow suit and rest at ease.

Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" has begun production last month under the working title "Motherland". Through its official announcement, Marvel Studios confirmed that Andy Serkis will return to reprise his role as Ulysses Klaue. Martin Freeman was also confirmed to return as Everett Ross, but this isn't new since he has been spotted alongside lead actor Chadwick Boseman, and actresses Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira before. In the comics, both characters are closely related to Wakanda, so their inclusion is more than obvious. The movie is also expected to have a big action scene in Busan, South Korea. Does this mean we can expect Claudia Kim to reprise her role as Dr. Helen Cho as well? Eventhough the movie has a high-calliber cast that makes everyone (including mine) shakes head in awe, this movie is still lacking some Asian-colors, am I right? Then again, Busan might simply work as a stand-in for the high tech nation of Wakanda, so the movie's setting might not necessarily take place in the East Asian country. I really shouldn't get my hopes up too soon.

At the same time, the much-anticipated "Avengers: Infinity War" has also begun production. This movie will be filmed concurrently along with the currently UNTITLED Avengers movie, that is set to be released on May 2019. Not just in Atlanta, the film will also shoot in several locations around the world, like London, Scotland, and likely others. Oddly, Marvel Studios has yet to release an official cast announcement for the movie. Possibly to avoid spoilering the story, or some other technical reason. So while we wait for that to happen, all we can do is observe movements and activites of Marvel Cinematic Universe's various actors on social medias to guess whether they are in it or not. Some names like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Benedict Wong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementief, and others have been confirmed thanks to keen-eyed fans. This include possible new cast members, like Peter Dinklage who is widely speculated to play Pip the Troll thanks to his newly dyed red hair. Expect to hear more of this behind the scene scoops throughout the production. If checking various social medias sounds exhausting, not to worry, because fansite MCUExchange has been keeping track of who's in and who's not. You can follow their updates for convenience.

During the set visit for "Vol 2", Marvel Studios' president Kevin Feige also revealed that Josh Brolin's Thanos will serve as the 'main character' of the movie. This is an interesting approach, and a conscious decision by the Studio as a response to the frequent criticism about their 'weak' antagonist characters. Feige is clearly aware of this much-talked about complaints, "A big criticism of ours is that we focus on the heroes more than the villains, I think that’s probably true. I don’t think it will always be true.". It'll be intriguing to see how this applies to "Infinity War", and moreso, critics and especially audience's reaction to it.

Marvel TV

Marvel TV has officially announced the core cast of their two upcoming shows! And both of them are YA titles...

The first one arrived for Freeform (formerly ABC family) and Marvel TV's first collaboration: Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger". MCUExchange initially ran a report mentioning Debbie Ryan and "Heroes" alumn Noah Gray-Cabey as the contenders, but the official press announcement immediately debunked that just a few days after. Young actor Aubrey Joseph has been cast as Tyrone Johnson, who will possess a 'dark' power to teleport others using his Cloak. While former Disney Channel's Olivia Holt has been cast as Tandy Bowen, who is able to manifest the power of 'light' in form of daggers. Just like the comics, the show will focus on both late teens's struggle with their new powers, as they fall in love with one another. Really, it's a YA love story, not unlike... "Twilight"?

Marvel TV's Jeph Loeb and showrunner/Executive Producer Joe Pokaski voiced their excitement and praises for the two young actors. In my opinion? I think the two looks great for the characters, particularly Holt. I'm not too keen on Joseph, but at least this one's much better than the previously rumored actor. Looks-wise, of course.

The second one, came for the more anticipated "Marvel's Runaways". Marvel TV officially announced that their collaboration with Hulu will star: Rhenzy Feliz as the nerdy African-American Alex Wilder, Lyrica Okano as the goth Nico Minoru (Sister Grimm), Virginia Gardner as the model-perfect Karolina Dean (Lucy in the Sky), Ariela Barer as the brash social justice warrior Gert Yorkes (Arsenic), Gregg Sulkin as the seemingly-dumb jock with untapped engineering skill Chase Stein (Talkback), and Allegra Acosta as the innocent Molly Hernandez. There isn't an official word yet, but this show has said to be ordered straight-to-series by Hulu.

To be honest, I'm not fluent with the comic series, and I haven't heard or seen any performances of these actors. But judging from their headshots alone, and comparing it to the character images the internet freely provided, I believe they look spot-on! They already looked like they jumped out of the comics, if you ask me, and with a simple touch of makeup, they will be even similar. So yeah, even I feel impressed by these names. And when people who are familiar with the series are saying good things, it seems more and more certain that the series will be good. Not to mention, Brian K. Vaughn who co-create the comics himself is onboard as Executive Consultant. This obviously gives audience a much higher assurance. For now, no names are confirmed for their 'villain' parents yet, nor whether this live action version of Nico will have any familial connection with Linda Louise Duan's Tina Minoru who debuted in last year's "Doctor Strange". I think it would be wise if they are indeed mother and daughter, to establish the show's place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But I'm not counting on anything, considering the gap that's been developing between the movie and TV side.

If the recent report could be trusted, then both series will begin production this month. "Cloak and Dagger" will start filming on February 14 (which makes sense, since it's a love story), with a working title "Shadows". It will take place in New Orleans, which is a change from the comic's setting, and the show is set to arrive next year. It is unclear when "Runaways" will begin production, but the show is expected to debut earlier, which is this Fall. Its working title is called "Rugrats".

Speaking of production, if another recent report is also valid, then Marvel TV's third new show is expected to begin production soon. Yep, Marvel's "Inhumans" is said to begin filming next month, between Chicago and Los Angeles. I'm not too sure about the source, but it makes sense considering the show has set a surprisingly fixed IMAX debut date in September. Not just those two areas, there was a report that said the series will also be filmed in Hawaii. Assuming these reports are true, that means we can also expect to hear casting announcement for Marvel's royal family pretty soon.

Marvel TV has already hired a director in Roel Reine to direct the first two episodes (which will be shot as an IMAX movie format), with a familiar Marvel TV-Netflix collaborator's name, Scott Buck as the showrunner. Although the Dutch director's name is still fairly unheard, and his portofolio in the US isn't actually... encouraging, he has indeed won the Dutch equivalent to an Oscar for a theatrical feature entitled "The Delivery". So perhaps, it's already in good hands? Anyways, that means all we need now is the cast, which for me personally, might very well be the make-or-break element of them all. Two actresses have been rumored so far, based on their social media activities, and honestly, I don't think they are a good fit. But rumor is just rumor until proven otherwise. So while I'm feeling genuinely worried, I can somehow be hopeful too.

If I had to choose which one I want to watch among these three, it's the second show that intrigues me most. "Runaways" easily comes on top, due to the talents alone. "Inhumans" comes next, though as I said, I can't help but feel more worried about it more than the others. I'm not too sure whether Marvel TV has the chops or creds to deliver such grand scale, but that's just a subjective perspective. "Cloak and Dagger" comes third is on list, eventhough I'm a fan of the characters in the comics. I don't know why, but I'm just not feeling it for some reasons. I hope I'm just alone thinking that way though, because expecting a new show to fail so early is just too despicable of an act for me to pull off. Of course, I also don't have any accounts for both Freeform or Hulu, and not planning to obtain ones just to watch one show. So the chances of me seeing two of these shows are VERY slim. Thanks to that, in the end "Inhumans" will likely be the one I'd end up watching. But let's just wait and see what happens when the time comes, all right?

Netflix

As for the Netflix side of Marvel, there are buzzes that we'll be getting a new trailer for Marvel's "Iron Fist" soon. Which is not surprising, considering all 13 episodes of the show will premiere in just a month and a week away! Several new official images have been released, showcasing the core cast of the series with no additional details whatsoever. This new series is the one I'm looking forward the most among the 'Netflix Defenders', so I'm crossing my fingers that it wouldn't disappoint.

At the same time, production for the next two shows continues to roll. Gettyimages has provided behind the scene photos of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones together for Marvel's "The Defenders", possibly reenacting a particular scene from the comics. There are mentions that the production will also shoot on Staten Island, which feature a scene with Mike Colter's Luke Cage. The mini-series has been confirmed (through Entertainment Weekly) to be released in Summer, so we can expect the production to wrap up really soon. This announcement practically confirmed that Frank Castle's show will take the Fall schedule, and that the character miiiight not be in the mini series. Much to many fans dismay, of course, including me.

Meanwhile, identity of Sigourney Weaver's character has yet to be revealed as well. EW only revealed her character's name as Alexandra, which can refer to practically anyone, comic book rooted or not. Showrunner Marco Ramirez only stated vaguely that Weaver's Alexandra is "a very powerful force in New York City. She’s everything Sigourney is: sophisticated, intellectual, dangerous.". Once again, that can mean anyone... or anything, since we're dealing with The Hands. Personally, I'm leaning towards a politician who wants to regulate vigilantes and people with abilities. That would rhyme really well with the aftermath of "Captain America: Civil War", as well as what's happening in "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". But that's just me and my theory. Don't quote me on that! LOL.

Another candid images of the production for Marvel's "The Punisher" has been making rounds in the internet. These images raised some... concerns among fans, because Jon Bernthal has been seen holding flowers. Hmmm... does this mean he's visiting a grave? Problem is, an old one (his family), or NEW grave (of a cast member, or character from previous series). Don't forget, this show is now expected to arrive at Fall. That means they might still be working on halfway through the series. Worth noted though, that filming doesn't necessarily follow the chronologic of the show. So whatever scene he's filming might always come from a needed flashback, something that occurs in the 2nd arc, or something that might happen later in the series' epilogue.

For the non-Marvel, Netflix has officially released the first trailer for the highly-anticipated second season of "Stranger Things" during Super Bowl. What a surprising move! This came directly on the heels of them releasing an official image from the show, that highlighted the children leads in their time-setting-appropriate Ghostbusters cosplay. I haven't seen this trailer myself (have to wait until after 1:00AM to be able to use bigger datacharge), but response to it have been... great. Too great even, so I'm REALLY curious. But you know what? I don't really need to see it anyway. I've already fallen in love with this show, so there's really no question whether I'm looking forward to see next or not. Problem is... season 2 will not arrive until Halloween. Well, that's a long wait, huh? *sigh*

Oh well, can't help it. Guess now I only need confirmation of when the 3rd season of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" will arrive, and I'm practically good to go!