R.I.P Joe Kubert

Sad news rocked the comic world, as legendary comic book artist Joe Kubert passed away. The news was reported by DCUO-Unlimited, and tweeted by several comic book news sites like Wizard World.

Father of well-known comic artists Andy Kubert and Adam Kubert, as well as the founder of The Kubert School that specializes of sequential art and comics, Joe Kubert was known for his tenure in DC Comics. he co-created Sgt. Rock, and worked on characters like Tor, Hawkman, and even the Caped Crusader himself Batman. He will certainly be missed, and condolences and prayers go out to The Kubert family at this time.

The Dark Knight actor Christian Bale visits Aurora Colorado victims

In what is undoubtedly a noble and honorable gesture coming from the heart, Batman star and British actor Christian Bale was spotted visiting the victims of the recent Aurora Colorado theater shooting at the Medical Center of Aurora. The Denver Post reports that the man who played Bruce Wayne and his alter ego in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy was seen visiting the hospital this Tuesday afternoon, staying for 2 1/2 hours and meeting five people still being treated for their injuries. He wasn't representing Warner Bros., and he was just doing this on his own, as this video report from ENTV reports:







Christian Bale Visits Aurora, Colorado Shooting Victims: ENTV


Truly, I tip my hat off to Christian Bale for doing such a wonderful thing and making a difference in his own right for the victims of this horrible incident that occurred during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises". He really is THE Batman, and a true hero for doing what he can to bring smiles and cheers to those fans hospitalized. For more on this story, visit the source post at The Denver Post

Reactions to the TDKR/ Colorado Theater Shooting

The news of the Colorado Theater Shooting during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises hit the world hard today, myself included. Families and innocent people became victims to a senseless act of violence. The cancelation of the TDKR premiere in Paris is just one of those precautions taken to ensure safety and security of others. I hope the man who caused all of this is sentenced accordingly. I find the crime very appalling, and my heart and sympathies go out to the victims of this horrible crime. Let's pray for them and their families.



CNN Report Colorado Theater Shooting


For more on this breaking news, read up the source post via CNN.

Michael Bay's TMNT movie plans get halted

Whether you take it as good news or bad news, the majority of the fanbase will probably be relieved to hear it.

According to The Hollywood Reporter as well as Comic Book Resources, Michael Bay's intended reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has been put to a stop, getting pushed back from a December 2013 release all the way to sometime in May 2014. The pre-production work being done for the movie has been placed in shutdown, as staff and crew working on the project have been laid off, most likely due to negative reaction from fans over the "alien treatment" Bay intends to give to the heroes-in-a-half-shell. This also comes off the tails of Paramounts other woes, which include delaying films World War Z and G.I.Joe Retaliation. For more info on the story can be found via the source post at THR and CBR.

The Avengers Update: MTV and IGN video interviews with the cast!

Via Enewsi, MTV News has posted up some cool interview videos conducted with the cast of Joss Whedon's upcoming superhero team flick "The Avengers", conducted from the past week's Disney D23 event! Check out the embedded footage below, and gather some insight from the stars themselves, including Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth, aka Iron Man and Thor themselves!

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth Geek Out about "Avengers"

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Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson talk about their favorite "Avengers" moments!

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Tom Hiddleston talks about Loki

Here's another segment, courtesy of the folks from IGN!

More The Avengers (2012) Videos

IGN interviews the cast of "Avengers"

For more info, visit the source post at Enewsi!

 The Avengers assemble and march into theaters on May 4, 2012!

Game of Thrones director may land "Thor 2", plus some RPG fun by College Humor.

If you enjoyed Game of Thrones like I did when it was running its first season on HBO, then do expect wonderful things to happen next year when the Second Season premieres on April. Before that, a couple of updates took to my eye concerning the subject and its creatives, and these bits of news perked my interest enough that they deserved some reposting.


As reported on Slash Film, it appears Marvel Studios is in talks with Game of Thrones TV series helmer Brian Kirk to direct "Thor 2". After Kenneth Branagh confirmed that he wouldn't be returning for the sequel, this sounds like awesome news, and given Kirk's work on GoT, I think Marvel may have something wonderful at hand if they land a deal with this guy. More info on the story can be found at the source post at Slash Film.

This is what happens when you turn a brilliant medieval fantasy series by George R.R. Martin into a TV Series... THEN an RPG like College Humor did. Priceless.XD


Game of Thrones RPG by College Humor

SPOILER: The new Ultimate Spider-Man... revealed!

Now it totally makes sense why the costume was changed. It truly is A NEW ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, and those who would avoid Spoilers better do so now. SPOILER MODE IS ON.

Frank Darabont steps down as showrunner for The Walking Dead

Via Deadline, Slash Film, and Enewsi, Frank Darabont, the executive producer, director, and creator of AMC's TV Adaptation of Robert Kirkman's "The Walking Dead", is stepping down and giving up his position as showrunner of the series. Having just appeared at the show's panel presentation at this past weekend's San Diego Comic-Con, this comes as big and surprising news to fans, since Darabont was the lead figure responsible for tackling and directing creative duties in the first season. With the second season slated to debut on October 16, his departure will not affect the schedule, but it may promote his number 2 man, Glen Mazzara of "The Shield" fame, to the top man position. How this will affect the future of the show remains to be seen, but it's sad to see a well known creative face taking a back seat at the cusp of what is already considered a great TV series. For more info on the story, visit the source post at Enewsi, Slash Film, or Deadline!

The Walking Dead Season 2 premieres on October 16 on AMC!

SDCC '11: First look photos from Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Via Slash Film, Empire magazine now has some photos in their latest issue of the new Ghost Rider sequel entitled "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" (scans courtesy of The Film Stage). Once again starring starring Nicholas Cage in the titular role and as Johnny Blaze, the sequel takes place in Eastern Europe, where Blaze has relocated to in order to repress his curse. Unfortunately, he has no choice but to return to action when a sect recruits him to take on the devil, who wants to take over his son's body on the kid's own birthday. That pretty much sums up the plot of the next movie, and so far fans are actually warming up to the idea of this film seeing a release. The bike and other props were shown off in the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con, so feedback has been positive so far. For more updates and photos on the story, visit the source post at Slash Film!

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, directed by Neveldine/ Taylor, blazes into theaters on February 17 next year!

SDCC '11: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns confirmed as a DC Animated film!

Fans of DC's ever growing animated film line up may get the surprise of their lives next year, as Warner Bros. and DC pretty much confirmed during the San Diego Comic Con that one of the most beloved Batman stories would be getting the toon treatment... As a two-parter even!

That's right, Frank Miller and Klaus Janson's The Dark Knight Returns is being adapted! The EPIC tale of an aged Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement and returning as Batman in a distant future is going to be made into DC's next animated film sometime in 2012. The Dark Knight Returns will most likely be released after the two animated movies slated for launch within the year, which are Justice League: Doom and Superman Vs. The Elite. Not much details were given on who will be voicing who, but good rumor and word is that legendary Batman: The Animated Series actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are being considered for Batman and Joker again, and if that's true, things will be so much more AWESOME going for this movie.

Coincidentally, this will be Frank Miller's second Batman work adapted into an animated film, as Batman: Year One already saw its premiere held at the Comic Con and will see home video release later this October! For more details on the store, visit the source post over at Bleeding Cool!

Two Years of Popculturing, Thor 2 release date, and a new Cap poster!

Today is July 1st, and besides Transformers: Dark of the Moon opening in cinemas this week, it marks the celebration of two years running this blog and reporting news on the popculture spectrum. I wouldn't have imagined myself to keep it maintained and going, but here we are now. I'll be commemorating the occasion with something special soon, so sit on tight and keep refreshing those browsers.;) For now, it's back to the updates!

Marvel.com has released this slick new international poster for Captain America: The First Avenger! It's a cool one sheet with the entire cast of the movie lined up with a maskless Chris Evans/ Captain America in the front, while a huge head of Hugo Weaving's Red Skull looks over with mean eyes over the background. You can check out more info and details from the source post at Marvel.com!

Movie blog and news site Screen Rant reports that "Thor 2" has been given a official release date, and it will appear under the Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Entertainment banner come July 26, 2013! Yes, the God of Thunder will be joining his fellow Avenger Iron Man the following year after "Avengers" hits theaters on May 4, 2012, so since Ol' Shellhead's next sequel, "Iron Man 3", is slated for a May 3, 2013 release date, Thor 2 shows nearly three months after that! Unfortunately, Kenneth Branagh won't be returning to direct the film, so the only question now is who can follow in his footsteps? For more info, visit the source post at Screen Rant.

Avengers Update: Shooting Starts, and Official Press Release and Pic released!

Beginning this week and already spreading like wildfire all over the media and news sites, Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios, and director/ writer Joss Whedon have commenced pre-production and shooting for next year's mega-superhero team flick - The Avengers! Movie sites like Slash Film, Entertainment Weekly, and SuperHeroHype have already reported this in, and the first official pic from the set of the movie has appeared. Take a look:

Yup, there be goosebumps already after seeing those chairs with familiar names positioned just in front of a S.H.I.E.L.D logo in the background, so we're all waiting for more news to pop up for this much anticipated film! Until that time comes, here's the official press release from Marvel Studios!

"Production has commenced today in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Marvel Studios' highly anticipated movie "Marvel's The Avengers," directed by Joss Whedon ("Serenity") from a screenplay by Whedon. The film will continue principal photography in Cleveland, Ohio and New York City. Robert Downey, Jr. ("Iron Man," "Iron Man 2") returns as the iconic Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") as Thor, Chris Evans ("Captain America: The First Avenger") as Captain America, Jeremy Renner ("Thor," "The Hurt Locker") as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo ("The Kids Are Alright") as Hulk, Scarlett Johansson ("Iron Man 2") as Black Widow, Clark Gregg ("Iron Man," "Thor") as Agent Phil Coulson, and Samuel L. Jackson ("Iron Man," "Iron Man 2") as Nick Fury. Set for release in the US on May 4, 2012, "Marvel's The Avengers" is the first feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in "Iron Man," "The Incredible Hulk," "Iron Man 2," "Thor," and "Captain America: The First Avenger," "Marvel's The Avengers" is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, "Marvel's The Avengers" brings together the mightiest super hero characters as they all assemble together on screen for the first time. The star studded cast of super heroes will be joined by Cobie Smulders ("How I Met Your Mother) as Agent Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as Tom Hiddleston ("Wallander") and Stellan Skarsgård ("Angels & Demons," "Mamma Mia!") who will both reprise their respective roles as Loki and Professor Erik Selvig from the upcoming Marvel Studios' feature "Thor."

"Marvel's The Avengers" is being produced by Marvel Studios' President, Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Louis D'Esposito, Patty Whitcher, and Jon Favreau. Marvel Studios' Jeremy Latcham and Victoria Alonso will co-produce.

The creative production team also includes Oscar nominated director of photography Seamus McGarvey ("Atonement"), production designer James Chinlund ("25th Hour"), Oscar winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age"), Oscar winning visual effects supervisor Janek Sirrs ("Iron Man 2," "The Matrix"), visual effects producer Susan Pickett ("Iron Man," "Iron Man 2"), stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell ("Superman Returns"), and four-time Oscar nominated special effects supervisor Dan Sudick ("Iron Man," "War of the Worlds"). The editors include Oscar nominated Paul Rubell ("Collateral") and Jeffrey Ford ("Crazy Heart").

Marvel Studios most recently produced "Iron Man 2" which was released in theatres on May 7, 2010. The sequel to "Iron Man," starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow as well as Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke, took the number one spot its first weekend with a domestic box office gross of $128.1 million. To date the film has earned over $620 million in worldwide box office receipts.

In the summer of 2008, Marvel produced the summer blockbuster movies, "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk." "Iron Man," in which Robert Downey, Jr. originally dons the super hero's powerful armor alongside co-stars Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow, was released May 2, 2008 and was an immediate box office success. Garnering the number one position for two weeks in a row, the film brought in over $100 million its opening weekend and grossed over $571 million worldwide. On June 13, 2008, Marvel released "The Incredible Hulk" marking its second number one opener of that summer. The spectacular revival of the iconic green goliath grossed over $250 million in worldwide box office receipts."

The Avengers assemble on theaters next year on May 4, 2012! Before that, go see Thor on May 6 and Captain America: The First Avenger on July 22 this year!

Iron Man 3 Update: Jon Favreau won't be returning as director...

This news is just as disappointing to hear as any recasting and reboot issues Marvel films have had in the past. Having viewed the rumors this morning and now getting wind of confirmed reports via Comic Book Resources, it seems that Jon Favreau, the director of the Iron Man films, WILL NOT return to direct Iron Man 3.

This is pretty sad news to hear, considering Favreau is one of the few and rare directors with the passion and understanding for comic books and characters such as ol' shellhead. Were it not for his contributions and vision, Iron Man wouldn't have turned into the blockbuster franchise that it is today, and given the success of said franchise, the director has moved up the Hollywood ladder and is now going on to direct other sweet projects such as the upcoming "Cowboys & Aliens" and Disney's forthcoming "Magical Kingdom". Admittedly, "Iron Man 2" did not share the same quality of enjoyment as the first film, but Jon Fav had a tight 2 year schedule to work around with, and the final product was still enjoyable despite the pacing issues. Still, Favreau's recent tweet confirmed a rumored report by Vulture that he won't be returning to direct the next sequel, which is a bummer in every sense. Robert Downey Jr. is still contractually obliged to return as Tony Stark/ Iron Man, but we won't be getting the heart and soul behind the franchise... unless he returns to star as Happy Hogan, which Jon has done in the past two films as well. Still, this change in creative control issue is far depressing for this Iron Man fan, and who knows what the future will bring for the franchise come 2013. For more details on the story, visit the post over at CBR.

Iron Man 3 soars into theaters on May 3, 2013

The Dark Knight Rises Update: No Harvey Two-Face returning

This is pretty much a known fact, but if you watched the end of 2008's "The Dark Knight" carefully, you know that Harvey "Two-Face" Dent, portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, died after Batman lunged at him to save Commissioner Gordon's son, resulting in Dent hurling to his death on the ground. Still, that didn't stop fans from speculating whether Dent did die or just lay unconscious, ready to return for a sequel should it happen.

Well, MTV News finally had a chance to meet and ask Aaron Eckhart again, who himself was quite curious about whether or not Two-Face was indeed coming back for 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises". He met up with director Christopher Nolan and asked about his role, and this is what he had to say about that meeting in this interview with MTV:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

There you have it. Heartbreaking as it is for us and Aaron, the movie timeline still has to move forward. For more info, check out the source post over at MTV.

The Dark Knight Rises is still scheduled for release on July 20, 2012.

Sony actually preps up a PSPhone!

I couldn't believe it til I saw the article today, but finally, Sony has merged gaming with cellphones!

As seen in an article posted by Kotaku, Sony has merged one of their Sony Ericsson phones with a Playstation Portable, creating the hybrid "Playstation Phone" prototype unit you see above you in a pic posted by Engadget. The tech is reportedly based off Google's own Android 3.0 platform, and will have a dedicated custom Sony Marketplace for users to download and purchase games for this unit. Call me skeptical, but I'm not totally sure if I want to merge my gaming and cellphone privileges with this gadget here. First off, there's no analog stick, and it's going to be replaced by a touch-sensitive track pad instead. Secondly, like the PSP Go before it, the PSPhone will not have any UMD or Memory Stick compatibility, so old PSP users can rule out any of their older stuff being used for this baby. Even with specs reported to be 1GHz Qualcomm CPU, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and a screen "in the range of 3.7 to 4.1 inches", I'm not sure if I'll be picking up a PSPhone just yet, which is said to be released fall next year. For more details, visit the source article over at Kotaku.

Batman 3 Update: Tom Hardy added to the cast!

Acoording to Deadline and several other movie news websites like Screen Rant, it appears that Inception and Bronson star Tom Hardy has been added to the cast of Christopher Nolan's 3rd Batman movie! This news is not a surprise to many, especially since Nolan directed Inception and has a knack for casting actors he has worked with on his previous films. It hasn't been confirmed who Hardy will be playing in the movie, but it's sure it'll be a lead role, and all signs are suggesting that it could be a villain. Knowing the actor's penchant for diversity, he'll do a great job in whatever role he's cast in. For more info and guesses, check out the article over at Screen Rant!

Batman 3 is due on July 12, 2012. Still plenty of time to wait and speculate!

Resident Evil goes from Degeneration to Damnation!

Now that Paul W.S. Anderson's latest Resident Evil flick, RE: Afterlife is making the rounds in theaters, news and interest on Capcom's survival horror franchise has spiked up, and yours truly couldn't be any happier with the results. In addition to the fact that there definitely will be a sequel to Afterlife, it looks like Sony and Capcom have decided to make a sequel to their 2008 CG Animated movie, Resident Evil: Degeneration!

For those who don't know about that movie, it was set in the same universe as the games, and featured Resident Evil 2's main stars Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield reuniting once more to fend off zombie attacks and bio hazard threats. While the film may have had mixed reviews, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and at least it retained the spirit and continuity of the games, which was big plus factor for me as an RE fan. Now, the people behind that flick are making the next CG installment, RE: Damnation. According to the post featured in Kotaku, the new movie will star Leon once again, and we can only guess who else will star and what the plot will be. Since RE: Degeneration took place between Resident Evil 4 and 5, maybe Damnation will take place after those events, with Leon taking on another mission backed by U.S Government... and running into Ada Wong once more. We can only dream for now... but I'm happy that a new flick is coming. Stay tuned for more updates as they come.

SDCC 2010: The Avengers Madness!

The San Diego Comic Con is the biggest comic book related event of the year... and it only just got bigger with so much Avengers related news!

First off, Earth's Mightiest Heroes are going to get the new animated series treatment, in a new series that's fittingly called "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes"! Set for a Fall 2010 release, the animation looks impressive, and every character you've come to know in Avengers history make their debut! Check out the trailer courtesy of IGN!

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Debut Trailer
Meanwhile, on this weekend's schedule of the SDCC, Marvel Studios held their panel discussion, and a lot of big announcements, footage, and sneak peeks were in on the show floor. First off were the big teases and clips for next year's big superhero films, namely Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger! In one footage described in SHH, Chris Evans was shown all decked out in Cap gear and throwing the shield via exclusive footage, and Chris Hemsworth was fighting some S.H.I.E.L.D Agents interrogating him in the "Thor" flick! Also related to the Avengers film, Jeremy Renner was cast as Hawkeye/ Clint Barton, while Mark Ruffalo is the new guy playing Bruce Banner! So much exciting news, and I only wish I could have viewed the footage there as well! Here's Samuel L. Jackson introducing the cast!

Avengers Cast SDCC Intro By Samuel L. Jackson
Here's the shot of the entire cast of "The Avengers", with the entire cast of the above mentioned movies joining the Iron Man team, namely Robert "Tony Stark/ Iron Man" Downey Jr., Samuel "Nick Fury" Jackson, and Scarlett "Black Widow" Johansson, along with their officially announced director alongside all of them, Joss Whedon!

For more info on what transpired on the showfloor, visit Superherohype! Avengers Assemble!

Batman 3 Update: Rumor Mill Amidst The SDCC!

Rumors are swirling abound as to what the next direction Christopher Nolan's 3rd Batman film will take? Will it have something to do with a riddle perhaps?



Heh, nice mock up poster, but this isn't official.

Enewsi just posted two interesting news bits that involve Warner Bros. and their "rumored" plans for the sequel to The Dark Knight. One goes with a domain purchase of "wheresbrucewayne.com", indicating plans are afoot to create another big viral marketing campaign to promote the movie like the previous film. The second rumor involves the villain to be for Batman 3, and hints strongly suggest that Edward Nygma will take on Bruce Wayne's alter ego, assuming his iconic and unstable persona as The Riddler. Having just starred in Chris Nolan's mind boggling sci-fi action flick Inception, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is rumored to be on the top of the list to play The Riddler. Right now, these repots are all unconfirmed and speculations at best. Let's pray some official news comes for the new bat-flick soon, hopefully even a tease at this week's San Diego Comic-Con!

DC Comics Makes Trails In The Coming Months Ahead!

The San Diego Comic Con is almost upon us in a few weeks time, and a lot of comic related news is already leaking in the windmill. From the events happening inside the pages of the books we love reading to film related news on movie adaptations on characters we know and love, there's a lot to expect and hype about SDCC 2010. Fortunately, some of the early birds in the comic industry decided to pop up some unique bits of news these past few days, and among them is none other than the publishers of the World's Finest and the Justice League - DC Comics!

Celebrating their 75th anniversary this month, DC is going strong with their events held in an epic scale. With Blackest Night concluding just a few months ago and Brightest Day shining a bright light down the road, there's a whole lot of content to expect well into the next year, especially with a certain Dark Knight returning from his journey throughout time. I'm sure we'll find out more about these stories in the coming months eventually, but first, here's a bit of teasers and announcements made in DC's blog The Source that I wanted to share to the comic crowd!