The NeverEnding Story. Das Boot. In the Line of Fire. Outbreak. Air Force One. Troy. If any of these engrossing blockbusters stir up fond memories, raise a glass today to German filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen, who died this week, aged 81, from pancreatic cancer.
With that sad news out the way for lovers of 80s and 90s cinema, let’s move on to more contemporary matters. These are the pop culture stories that caught our eye this past week.
Television
The upcoming Netflix series Wednesday didn’t quite make the cut for our Netflix Geeked Week highlights this year, mostly because the extremely short teaser was barely 30 seconds long. At least now we have a proper teaser trailer (and a handful of images) for the upcoming sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy.
From the imagination of Tim Burton, Wednesday stars Jenna Ortega in the title role, with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán as her husband Gomez, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley, and introducing Gwendoline Christie as Principal Larissa Weems. Wednesday will debut on Netflix in Fall 2022. Snap snap.
As huge fans of practical effects and SFX makeup, the first look at Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities has us beyond thrilled. In the First Look video, the master of horror himself gives us a glimpse at some of the twisted nightmares from his new anthology series, and talks a bit about the process of bringing these stories to life alongside some of today’s most revered horror creators – including the directors of The Babadook, Splice, Mandy, and many more.
We can look forward to Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities releasing on Netflix on October 25 2022. Halloween is already shaping up nicely this year!
Showmax has released a trailer for Blood Psalms, an epic, action-packed African fantasy series which could be our local answer to Game of Thrones, as it delivers hybrid fantasy-historical intrigue. In Ancient Africa, one thousand years after the fall of Atlantis, the five surviving houses of Kemet find themselves beset with fears of a prophesied end of days. A co-production with CANAL+, Blood Psalms will premiere on Showmax on 28 September 2022, with new episodes every Wednesday for 11 weeks.
Speaking of Game of Thrones, there’s one final short promotional trailer for prequel House of the Dragon, which starts this Sunday, 21 August, with weekly episode drops. House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, a history of dragon-riding House Targaryen, and will look at the Civil War that triggered the House’s decline in Westeros.
Out of interest for South African fans, if you want to watch the HBO Max production as episodes drop, you’ll only be able to do so via satellite broadcaster DSTV and their app. House of the Dragon will likely only be coming to local streaming service Showmax once the entire ten-episode season is complete, so expect it maybe in December.
To the relief of many fans, especially since Netflix has been culling animated series of late, the Emmy-winning Love, Death + Robots has been greenlit for another season. As Netflix Geeked announced via Instagram, Love, Death + Robots Volume IV is a GO! The thematically rich anthology of short animated episodes brings to life science fiction stories from all over the world, in a kaleidoscope of animation styles. We’re always keen for more of this unique, eclectic show.
We’ve also just realised that we never shared the news out of San Diego Comic-Con that Love, Death + Robots’ showrunner Timothy Miller and fellow producer David Fincher finally have a home for their animated adaptation of The Goon, a punchy and irreverent pulp comic from Eric Powell. After 12 years of stop-start development, Netflix has picked up The Goon, in a move that replicates how the streamer also saved ND Stevenson’s Nimona and Guillermo Del Toro’s stop-motion Pinocchio.
Film
That endless hunger for intellectual property… Swedish conglomerate Embracer Group, which snapped up Tomb Raider from Square Enix in May, has extended its acquisitions beyond video games (although those are continuing at a high pace too) and comics.
Embracer has entered into an agreement to acquire the IP rights to The Lord of the Rings, which would give it a say over all adaptations (including film, series and games) plus merchandise relating to the epic fantasy franchise. The Tolkien estate will continue to own J.R.R. Tolkien’s actual literary works.
Embracer’s press release on their LOTR plans includes this paragraph:
Other opportunities include exploring additional movies based on iconic characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, Galadriel, Eowyn and other characters from the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and continue to provide new opportunities for fans to explore this fictive world through merchandising and other experiences.
Here’s your first look at The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to The Hunger Games, based on Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name. In this dystopian adventure, set 64 years before the events in the original Hunger Games trilogy, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) finds himself torn between a desire to restore his family’s name and power, and Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from District 12 who is set to fight to the death in the 10th Hunger Games. Snow will, of course, go on to become the ruthless president of Panam, and was previously played by Donald Sutherland.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, who helmed three of the four previous Hunger Games films, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes releases on 17 November 2023. Viola Davis and Peter Dinklage are also in the cast.
This next one might seem silly, B-grade level horror trash, but as writers, it kind of strikes a cord. Writer’s block is a real… killer sometimes, as Rachel Shelley is about to find out in the upcoming film Blank. After checking in for an A.I. operated writer’s retreat run by Henry (Wayne Brady), Claire (Shelley) finds herself trapped in her unit with a malfunctioning android (Heida Reed). As her captor becomes increasingly unstable, Claire has to outsmart the technology in order to make it out alive. Blank releases in international theatres and on On Demand on 23 September.
As for random cool things, if you haven’t seen Prey yet (and you really should), here’s a non-spoiler behind the scenes video of the amazing practical effects used on the Predator.
Gaming
It’s Gamescom next week in Germany so expect various game reveals, updates and other announcements soon, but this week arguably the biggest news is that upcoming Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy has been delayed a second time. The long-anticipated magical adventure, which will be the first non-mobile title set in JK Rowling’s fantasy universe in a decade, is now set for release on 10 February 2023. Hogwarts Legacy is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, PC and, later, Nintendo Switch.
The hospitality industry is brutal. In upcoming Bloody Hell Hotel, from indie devs Unfold Games, it’s especially so, as you play a vampire who’s trying to turn your once-grand estate into a prosperous hotel.
Experienced in the first person, management sim Bloody Hell Hotel is best described as Stardew Valley by way of Tim Burton. You must forage, farm, craft, repair and fight through monster-infested dungeons beneath your manor to gather precious resources. Plus, you can’t kill too many guests (though it may be tempting at times) or your business will fail.
There’s no release date yet, but you can wishlist Bloody Hell Hotel on Steam here. The game is coming to PC and unstated consoles.
Books & Comics
Perhaps setting yourself up simply to create IP for adaptations is not such a great business model. Valiant Comics, the home of Bloodshot and its own Marvel-esque hero universe, has had an up-and-down history since it was founded in the early 90s, but times are looking especially rough right now for a company that was once the most nominated publisher at the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Harvey Awards.
Layoffs and downsizings have left Valiant with just one monthly comic release, and fan goodwill has been damaged by a shift into NFTs. Notably, Valiant was acquired by media company DMG Entertainment in 2018, which led to key figures leaving the organisation. Read more about the unfolding drama here and here.
Meanwhile, over at Oni Press, just before San Diego Comic-Con, several senior staff members were let go without warning, resulting in the publisher’s presence at the event being cancelled. Again, high-level mergers and decisions seem to be placing a greater emphasis on milking existing IP instead of supporting and producing new creator-driven comics. Oni is probably best known for the Scott Pilgrim series, but also handles comic tie-ins for the likes of Rick & Morty, and Aggretsuko.
With Action Lab Entertainment basically shuttered in the face of a class action suit from 40 comic creators, who claim the indie publisher has failed to deliver on its promise “to print, promote and market creators’ works,” the American comics industry (at least the indie sector) seems to be in a state of upheaval.
Mad Cave seems to be doing okay, though. This week, they acquired kids’ graphic novel publisher Papercutz in a bid to extend their readership beyond adults and young adults to the middle school bracket.