Ben Affleck steps down as director of "The Batman"

Looks like the upcoming solo film of the DC Extended Universe won't be seeing its Dark Knight star and actor taking the director's chair, as Variety reports the unfortunate news that "Argo" and "The Town" director Ben Affleck has decided to step down as director of the Batman solo film tentatively titled as "The Batman".

In the story by Variety, Affleck went on to say why he decided to back peddle and step away from directorial duties, which was officially confirmed during last year's San Diego Comic-Con.

“There are certain characters who hold a special place in the hearts of millions,” Affleck said in a statement. “Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require. Together with the studio, I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it, but we are currently looking for a director. I remain extremely committed to this project, and look forward to bringing this to life for fans around the world.” 

There you have it. This is probably for the best as constant pressures of being asked about updates do weigh in on Ben, as does having to direct, write, and star in productions he makes. Affleck is still set to star and be a fellow driving force behind the film and the DCEU. His latest film, Live By Night, was released in theaters on Christmas before hitting theaters worldwide on early January. His next appearance as Batman will be in this November's "Justice League".

DC on the CW: New Supergirl and The Flash promo posters released

After returning to television sets last week and resuming their respective seasons, The CW has released a couple of new promo posters for Supergirl and The Flash - both of which feature the respective titular hero and one of their supporting heroes side by side!

For Supergirl, it's Martian Manhunter flying with her through what appears to be an asteroid belt, while The Flash and Kid Flash run together with the Speed Force at their side! For more info, visit the source post at Comic Book Movie's posts here and here!

Supergirl shows every Monday while The Flash runs every Tuesday, both on The CW!

Double Dragon IV trailer and release date this coming week

Set to be released next week for PS4 and PC this coming week, Arc System Works has released a trailer for their upcoming new "retro" beat 'em up brawler "Double Dragon IV" - a new sequel to the classic beat 'em up series from the arcades and NES days of old.

Check out the trailer below.

Double Dragon Ⅳ Trailer
Double Dragon IV will hit PS4 on January 29 and on PC January 30.

ICYMI: Hugh Jackman reveals new poster for "Logan"

Not one to keep the promotional wheel from lagging, Wolverine actor and star Hugh Jackman released this week via his Facebook page a brand new poster for his reportedly final Wolverine sequel "Logan" - which shows a close up of the character's face with claws unsheathed, yet showing a tired, weary, and old man that is fighting still to redeem himself and be a hero til the end.

Logan Official HD Trailer #2
Logan hits theaters on March 3, 2017.

The Lego Batman Movie: "Behind The Bricks" Featurette and Happy Chinese New Year 2017 greeting

Hitting theaters in a few weeks and bringing together an AWESOME gathering of DC Characters yet starring one famous "Black and Yellow" clad superhero, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have released new promotional videos for "The Lego Batman Movie", which features the cast of the film giving hilarious interviews in a "Behind the Bricks" feature and Lego Batman himself greeting everyone a "Happy Chinese New Year"!

The LEGO Batman Movie - "Behind the Bricks" Featurette
THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE - Happy Chinese New Year!
Catch The Lego Batman Movie this February in theaters!

BREAKING: Mazinger Z Live-Action Movie Site Opens and movie coming soon?!

MAZZZZIIINNNNN GOOOOO~!!!!

If this site is teasing what I think it's teasing... THEN THE GRANDDADDY OF SUPER ROBOTS AND GO NAGAI'S BABY IS FINALLY GETTING HIS LIVE ACTION MOVIE SOON!!!

That's right! Thanks to news from Mazinger Z Laboratory, it looks like Mazinger Z is going live action - announced just in time for the heroic chogokin robot's 45th Anniversary this year! I can't wait to see more news on this!

Mazinger Z Intro
And just for Throwback and Nostalgia's sake, here's the ORIGINAL opening intro of the classic anime series!

Tekken 7: Eliza DLC Character Trailer released

Already revealed as a pre-order bonus with the "Rage and Sorrow" trailer which also announced the release date of the game in consoles, Bandai Namco further fleshes things out by releasing an exclusive trailer for the vampire character Eliza for "Tekken 7" - showcasing what she can do in the game when it arrives this June.


TEKKEN 7 - Eliza DLC Character Reveal
Tekken 7 hits PS4, Xbox One, and PC on June 2 this year.

Star Wars: Episode VIII title officially revealed as "The Last Jedi"

With the release of the first spin-off film in "Rogue One" now in the rear view mirror, Star Wars fans have turned their attention to the impending release of the next numerical installment in the franchise... And that is Episode VIII. Thanks to the official Star Wars Facebook page, we now have a title to that chapter, and that is "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"!

Via the official FB post itself, the description reads as:

"We have the greatest fans in this or any other galaxy. In appreciation of the fans, we wanted them to be the first to know the title of the next chapter in the Skywalker saga: STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. 

THE LAST JEDI is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin, and Tom Karnowski."

From the title alone, it sounds like Episode VIII will deal with the Jedi legacy - specifically Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill), who was last seen at the end of The Force Awakens and found by Rey.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released in December 2017.

Tekken 7: "Rage and Sorrow" trailer released & June 2, 2017 release date confirmed

After a long and patient waiting period for fans who have endured the forthcoming news of when exactly the game will get its home console edition release, Bandai Namco Games and Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada have dropped the long awaited news via Facebook at last - Tekken 7 is coming to Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam this June - combining all the features that were present in the vanilla arcade release and its "Fated Retribution" update.

TEKKEN 7 - Rage and Sorrow Traile
Check out the brand new "Rage and Sorrow" cinematic trailer that confirms the release date, as well as teasing new elements coming from the story of the game that promises to finish the "Mishima Saga" storyline once and for all.


Tekken 7 hits PS4, Xbox One, and PC on June 2, 2017.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard: European Collector's Edition Unboxing Video released

With the game coming out this Tuesday already, a lot of Resident Evil fans and loyalists are looking forward to the new beginning the franchise is setting up with the release of "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" - a bold new direction where First Person Perspective gameplay is emphasized yet returning back to the Survival Horror aspect of the series that has long been absent since Resident Evil 4 introduced new gameplay elements and "Survival Action".

Those planning to go all out with the new installment, especially those living in Europe, have a "Collector's Edition" that they can or have already pre-ordered... And it has a ton of goodies that have been seen in trailers and the special demoes that have been released thus far to give players an idea of the game. Check out Capcom's unboxing video, which you can see below.


RE7: European Collector's Edition - Unboxing
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard gets a worldwide release for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 24.

Captain America: Chris Evans works a clever comic shop prank for Omaze

In a very clever and humorous way to do something heroic and awesome for charity, Captain America actor and Marvel Cinematic Universe star Chris Evans teamed up with Omaze to set up an "Escape Room Scenario" at the Comicazi comic book shop to have fun with the visitors going to the store and letting them find clues to stop Hydra. This was done to support Christophers Havens non-profit charity organization - which helps families of children with cancer find places to live while in hospital with full furnished apartments.

Check out the video and make a difference like Cap in a cool way.

Logan: Normal and Red Band 2nd Trailer released

Despite the fact that he says it's "One Last Time" for him to play the role or rumors suggesting that he may yet come back to even team up with Ryan Reynolds for a crossover with Deadpool, Hugh Jackman is set to play his signature superhero role of Wolverine for what may be his greatest challenge yet in the twilight of his heroic career, as he cares for an ailing Professor X and finds a young mutant girl who has the same power as he has in the final Wolverine film of the X-Men Movies series called "Logan".

To further promote for the release of the James Mangold directed film coming out in less than two months, a brand new theatrical trailer has been released by 20th Century Fox and Marvel, showing more on the developing bond between Logan and his young female clone, X-23.


Logan Trailer 2
Additionally a "Red Band" version of the same trailer was also released, featuring a few additional scenes that includes some profanity and more interaction between the characters that includes Patrick Stewart's Professor X.

Logan Trailer 2 (Red Band)
Logan will be released in theaters on March 3, 2017.

Arrow: "Who Are You?" Extended Trailer released

Set to return next week along with the rest of DC on The CW shows, The CW has released an extended trailer for "Arrow" Season 5's 10th episode entitled "Who Are You?" - which by now has revealed that the seemingly deceased Laurel Lance/ Black Canary has returned to Team Arrow... Or has she? If you've been keeping tabs with all the shows including The Flash, there's more to this than meets the eye... And the trail of deception and lies haunt Oliver Queen and his friends at every turn.

Check out the extended trailer below.


Arrow | Who Are You? Extended Trailer
Arrow returns to The CW on January 25th, Wednesday.

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" trailer recreated in 8-Bit retro style!

In what is certainly a fun and pretty awesome gaming recreation of the first trailer of one of the most anticipated movies this year, Joblo Movie Trailers has recreated for their "8-Bit Trailers" series (as reported by Cosmic Book News) the first "Spider-Man: Homecoming" trailer using beautiful, 8-bit retro gaming style graphics! It just needs to be seen to be believed!


8-Bit Trailers: SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters on July 7, 2017!

Injustice 2: Cinematic story trailer released

After promising in their Facebook page that something would be revealed on this day January 17th, Warner Bros. Games, DC Entertainment, and Mortal Kombat makers NetherRealm Studios have released the first cinematic story trailer for "Injustice 2" - the long awaited sequel to the hit 2013 DC Universe themed fighting game that sees Superman becoming a tyrant and leading a Regime while Batman fights back with a rebellion called the Insurgency. From the epic trailer alone, the story takes place sometime after the events of the future where Superman's Regime has fallen... But someone else is pulling the strings from behind the scenes, and it clues in to a certain villain the Man of Steel has faced - possibly his old Kryptonian technology made foe Braniac.

Check out the cinematic story trailer... And also see who becomes a pre-order character - the lord of Apokalips himself, Darkseid!!!

Injustice 2: Story Trailer

Injustice 2 is set to be released for PS4 and Xbox One on May 16th

The Lego Batman Movie: Chevorlet reveals "The Batmobile" commercial

With less than a month left until it hits theaters and shows an "uber awesome movie" the spins off the events of 2014's "The Lego Movie", Warner Bros., DC Entertainment, and Chevrolet have teamed up to show a new kind of commercial promoting the Batmobile as seen in the upcoming "The Lego Batman Movie", with Will Arnett back as Batman and showing why his car can kick butt.

The focus study group shown the car has other opinions though, as seen in the advertisement.


All-New LEGO® Batmobile from Chevy | Chevrolet

But wait, there's more! Comic Book.com has a scoop on the "Life-Sized" version of this very same Batmobile!

Catch The Lego Batman Movie when it hits theaters this February!

Marvel releases "United We Stand" Secret Empire teaser poster

After previously revealing the title of their next big event that somehow involves Steve Rogers/ Captain America and current events in the Marvel Universe, Marvel (via Comic Book Resources) has released a brand new teaser poster for "Secret Empire" - showing the words "United We Stand" and all the prominent hero characters so far - Spider-Man, Cap, Old Man Logan, Deadpool, Black Bolt, Rocket Raccoon, Black Widow, Black Panter, and Captain Marvel to name a few.

 How this plays out is anyone's guess, but with the Marvel Universe involved and Hydra Cap still working in secret, it's bound to play out in some way or form. Let's just wait and see.

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers coming to Nintendo Switch this 2017

Timed to coincide with the latest revelation of details for Nintendo's upcoming new console hybrid in the "Nintendo Switch" - which hits markets worldwide on March 3, 2017, Capcom has officially unveiled their contribution to the line-up of games coming post-launch, and that is in the form of the retro new title called "Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers"!

Taking a cue from last console generation's release "Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix", Ultra Street Fighter II will contain all fighters from Super Street Fighter II Turbo, including Akuma, and give players the option to switch between old school graphics and the new HD graphics illustrated by UDON Entertainment. Additionally, two new fighters seen in other games will be added to the mix - Evil Ryu and Violent Ken - the dark versions of the two main Shoto protagonists of the Street Fighter series. The game honors Street Fighter's 30th Anniversary this year, and will feature online play as well as taking advantage of the Switch's handheld option and Joy-Con features.

Check out the announce trailer below, and some more photos from Capcom's Street Fighter FB page!

Ultra Street Fighter II Announce Trailer
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers will be released sometime in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch.

DC Comics announces "The Button" event for DC Rebirth

Looks like one of the bug mysteries of "DC Rebirth" may finally be answered starting the first quarter of 2017, as Newsarama breaks the news on DC Comics officially announcing one of their big events of the year in "The Button"  - a 4 part storyline the crosses over "Batman" and "The Flash", with The Dark Knight and Scarlet Speedster teaming up to find out the nature of the bloodstained smiling face button - which Watchmen fans will know well as the item present during the murder of The Comedian.

With questions still looming over the horizon on the DC Universe as to how this plays into Rebirth and how Doctor Manhattan and Ozymandias are involved, "The Button" will run through issues 21 and 22 of "Batman" and "The Flash" respectively, and special lenticular covers drawn by artist Jason Fabok will also be available at $3.99. The storyline begins on April 19, so don't miss it if you've been DC Rebirth since the start.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson teases his Black Adam meeting with DC Comics

DC Comics went "one on one" with The Great One... And it was a meeting to discuss and look forward to the future coming of "Black Adam"! As many know by now, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has set his sights on playing the well known anti-hero/ villain in the upcoming "Shazam" movie for the DC Extended Universe, and how that's going to turn out is anyone's guess... But we're all FIRED UP just by seeing this pic of him next to the new DC Logo!!


As posted in his Facebook page, here's Dwayne putting it short and sweet.


Now all that's left is to look forward to things coming to life... JUST BRING IT!

Hot Toys reveals "Batman: Arkham Asylum: The Joker" figure

Once again proving that they are undoubtedly one of the most detailed action figure makers in the world, Hot Toys has officially announced their newest Batman related figure coming out soon - The Joker as seen in Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, DC Entertainment, and Rocksteady Studios' "Batman: Arkham Asylum". The first of the critically acclaimed "Batman Arkham" games, this 1/6th Scale Collectible Figure perfectly recreates the Clown Prince of Crime as seen in the 2009 adventure, who is voiced by Mark Hamill who reprises his role from Batman: The Animated Series!

Check out more details and pics of Hot Toys' newest upcoming release at their official Facebook page!

Marvel announces "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" for April

After being revealed as the newest incarnation of The Jackal during the events of the currently ongoing "The Clone Conspiracy" storyline, returning Spider-Man clone character Ben Reilly is set to officially embrace his roots and adopt his Scarlet Spider persona once more as Marvel reveals "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" - a new ongoing that features the already announced team of writer Peter David and artist Mark Bagley.

Featuring a new costume that is decidedly mixed in elements and opinion (see Bleeding Cool), Ben Reilly's return to his Scarlet Spider identity won't be a fully heroic one, as he is still set to wrestle with his demons coming fresh from his other persona of The Jackal. " Even Peter David, through an interview with Comic Book Resources, gave a pretty apt description of his thoughts writing the character:

"He has his Scarlet Spider identity on one shoulder, urging him to follow his better angels, and the Jackal on the other hand, trying to get him to return to the path that led him to disaster. He’s trapped in the middle, endeavoring to balance the two. Of all the characters I’ve written who are having identity problems — and God knows, I’ve done a few — Ben is easily the most unhinged."

Reilly won't be the only one highlighting the book, as his brother and other Scarlet Spider Kaine will be there too as a supporting character. How this comeback will affect Peter Parker/ Spider-Man is still a mystery, but expect Ben to swing back into the webs when "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" hits shops and newsstands this April!

Justice League: USA Today releases new photo of the League

With 2017 rolling on and bringing more updates and news, USA Today has debuted a brand new picture of DC Films' much anticipated superhero team movie "Justice League", which will gather together the World's Greatest Heroes of the DC Universe for the first time in the big screen! Directed by Zack Snyder and being the fifth entry in the DC Extended Universe this year, the new photo shows Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, The Flash, & Aquaman standing together and ready to deploy as they come out of the drop ship that they're riding in.

Justice League hits theaters on November this year!

ICYMI: Injustice 2 gets a release date

"i2.05.16.17"

If that didn't clue you in one what that signifies, the official Facebook page of Warner Bros. Games, DC Entertainment, and NetherRealm Studios' "Injustice" video game series just added a new photo that scribbles that date - translating to May 16, 2017, which is revealed to be the release date for "Injustice 2" - the upcoming new fighting game sequel to 2013's "Injustice: Gods Among Us" which will feature DC Heroes and Villains slugging it out from the makers of Mortal Kombat.

15 Minutes of Injustice 2 Gameplay in 1080p 60fps
If you haven't seen the gameplay trailer, here it is again.

Marvel announces "Secret Empire" event for 2017 featuring Captain America

After recently releasing a trailer that detailed the new Hydra status quo of one reinvigorated yet tainted Steve Rogers, Marvel Comics has released an image of what appears to be their next big event storyline called "Secret Empire" - which puts Captain America in the middle of things as in the current "Captain America: Steve Rogers" comic book - he is an Agent of HYDRA who is manipulating things from behind the scenes and is working to a big endgame. Reported by Bleeding Cool, it's still up in the air as to how this event will play out in the bigger Marvel Universe, but as CBR points out the term "Secret Empire" also harkens to a division of HYDRA that has existed in stories before... And this new division could be Hydra Cap's own brainchild to put his plans in motion.

No release date has been given for Secret Empire, but expect it sometime in 2017 for sure.

Marvel releases "Hail Hydra" launch trailer for Captain America: Steve Rogers

2016 has certainly left a lot of shockers and unexpected things in its wake... And one of those in the popculture and comic scene was the big switcheroo that happened in the pages of the new series "Captain America: Steve Rogers" - which puts the newly restored Steve Rogers back in the uniform and wielding a new shield, but also with the revelation that he is an agent of Hydra. Anyone who follows the Nick Spencer and Jesus Saiz series knows that this was due to the machinations of the Red Skull - who manipulated the sentient Cosmic Cube entity known as Kobik to restore Rogers but also implant new memories of his past being laced with a history of being raised by the evil organization he fought since World War II.

Hail Hydra! Presenting a Special Launch Trailer For CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS!
Now Marvel has released a new trailer to promote the new storyline "Hail Hydra" starting with issue #7 and #8 - which brings readers and followers of the series up to speed and also teasing what the future may bring for Cap as he puts his own plans in motion.

Captain America: Steve Rogers is currently ongoing and published by Marvel Comics.

The LEGO Batman Movie: "Graffiti" posters released

In what is another AWESOME WAY to promote the upcoming spin-off film of the 2014 "The Lego Movie", Warner Bros. has released a series of "Graffiti" posters for "The LEGO Batman Movie" - which features Will Arnett back as the Caped Crusader as he defends (Lego) Gotham City from an attack by The Joker as well as learning what it means to have an extended family at the same time.

You can check out the rest of the Graffiti posters at the film's official FB page. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the Extended TV Spot released for the film as well.


The LEGO Batman Movie – Extended TV Spot The LEGO Batman Movie opens in theaters on February 2017!

Michael Keaton talks why he didn't do "Batman Forever"

Despite long being past the shadow of his former tenure as the Caped Crusader of the big screen, many fans still see Michael Keaton as one of the definite actors to have portrayed Batman in film. With his career revitalized thanks to his brilliant performance in "Birdman" and then "Spotlight", the actor is now set to tackle the Marvel Cinematic Universe by playing the villainous Vulture in "Spider-Man Homecoming" this July.

However, one question that has finally been answered is why Keaton decided to hang the cape and cowl and not return as Batman for Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever". In an interview with THR (and reported by Comic Book.com), the actor revealed he knew he had to leave before things turned ugly as the director had a different outlook at how to do the next Batman film after Tim Burton's two films that came before it.

"It sucked. I knew it was in trouble when he said, 'Why does everything have to be so dark?'"

As it is, Batman Forever went on to cast Val Kilmer as the new Bats, while the sequel Batman and Robin saw George Clooney in the role when Kilmer didn't return. Well, we all know how the Schumacher films turned out... We can all move on and put that to rest now.

Ben Affleck won't do "The Batman" if the script doesn't come together

Although he committed to writing, directing, and starring in the upcoming solo movie of the Caped Crusader in the DC Extended Universe, Batman actor and Academy Award winning movie director Ben Affleck has stated in an interview with The Guardian that he will not force the tentatively titled "The Batman" if things and the script don't come together.

“That’s the idea. But it’s not a set thing and there’s no script. If it doesn’t come together in a way I think is really great I’m not going to do it.”

It's quite understandable for Affleck to be weary of things and prioritize quality than making a subpar product come out. Given his resume with "The Town", "Argo", and this month's "Live By Night", the director is first and foremost a filmmaker who wants things to come together nicely. His portrayal as Batman in last year's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was one of the highlights of the film despite the mixed reviews from critics and fans, and the actor is set to reprise the role later this year with Justice League. Let's hope things do come together to meet the projected target release date of 2018.

Batman: Arkham Knight: Hot Toys 1/6th Scale figure revealed

Revealed by just before the end of 2016 proper, Hot Toys has officially announced that they are releasing a 1/6th scale collectible figure of Batman's new batsuit as it appears in the 2015 game "Batman: Arkham Knight" - the final chapter in Rocksteady Studios' epic Batman Arkham Trilogy of games.

You can check out more pictures and details of the upcoming Batman: Arkham Knight Batman figure at Hot Toys Facebook page!

Welcome 2017! Happy New Year from Lego Batman!

Welcoming 2017 in style and preparing the world for his AWESOME movie coming next year, Warner Bros. has released a brand new short "New Year" clip featuring Lego Batman and Robin doing a "Great Gatsby" nod and saying Happy New Year to promote "The Lego Batman Movie" coming this February!

You can check out Will Arnett as Bruce Wayne transforming into Batman in the clip below.


THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE Promo Clip Happy New Year
The Lego Batman Movie opens in theaters on February 2017!