Joel McHale Joins Stargirl

According to Variety, Joel McHale (Community) has joined the upcoming DC Universe streaming series Stargirl as Sylvester Pemberton, a.k.a Starman. McHale will star alongside lead Brec Bessinger (School of Rock), Anjelika Washington (Shameless), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad).

Pemberton is the original Starman, and wielder of the cosmic staff. He’s a long-time member of the Justice Society of America, who also has a sidekick named Stripesy, who is the Father of lead character Courtney Whitmore. No other details are available for Stargirl just yet, but as more casting comes in we should hear more.

Advertisements

Blue Devil Cast in Swamp Thing

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ian Ziering (Sharknado) has landed a recurring role as Daniel Cassidy, a.k.a. Blue Devil in the upcoming DC Universe streaming series, Swamp Thing. Blue Devil is a stuntman turned actor who sold his soul to Neron for fame. After being betrayed by the elder demon he was resurrected as a demon, himself.

This will be Blue Devil’s first live-action appearance, I believe, which adds yet another amazing magical element to this already packed series. Titans has been surprisingly great, and Swamp Thing is shaping up to be even better.

Disney Reveals Pixar’s Onward for 2020

Disney has revealed a new, upcoming project from powerhouse animation studio, Pixar, with Onward, set for release on March 6th, 2020. Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, and Octavia Spencer have all been announced for the film, with the first description coming in alongside the casting.

Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney•Pixar’s “Onward” introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. “At Pixar we try to create stories that come from some kind of personal truth,” said [director Dan] Scanlon (Monsters University). “This film was inspired by my own relationship with my brother.”

New Ultraman Series Planned for International Release

It’s been years since Ultraman saw any sort of official release outside of Japan, but The Hollywood Reporter has the good news that Tokyo’s Tsuburaya Productions is working with Starlight Runner Entertainment to produce a new take on the long-running Japanese superhero franchise, aimed at International audiences, with the goal of expanding the franchise’s presence.

In an official statement, Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner said “Ultraman is one of my greatest childhood heroes. We’re honored to be embarking on this mission to bring this family of characters back to the world stage.”

Scott Derrickson Returning for Doctor Strange 2

The Hollywood Reporter has word that Scott Derrickson, who directed 2016’s Doctor Strange, has finalized a deal to return to the director’s chair for Doctor Strange 2. Marvel is now looking for writers, and the plan is for the film to be the studio’s May 2021 release. An interesting choice of film for the big summer kick-off that Marvel usually reserves for their biggest release, but after Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, they must have faith in the Sorcerer Supreme.

Details on the film are, of course, nonexistent, but it’s nice to see Marvel gearing up for Phase 4 with The Eternals, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Black Panther 2 all in the pipeline.

Crisis on Infinite Earths Headed to The CW

One of the most iconic event series in the history of comic books is officially headed to The CW next year, as the finale of the Elseworlds Arrow-verse crossover concluded with a tease for Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths, written by Marv Wolfman and published in 1985, features a villain known as the Anti-Monitor battling the likes of Superman, Supergirl, and Flash, among others, in an attempt to destroy all life in the Multiverse, that ended when heroes and villains alike across multiple worlds banded together to stop the threat.

The kicker? The event ended with the deaths of Supergirl and The Flash, Barry Allen. The Crisis has been teased since the very first episode of The Flash, so seeing it finally come to fruition is immensely exciting.

MAX LVL Radio: Sunflower – Post Malone, Swae Lee

The first single from the surprisingly deep soundtrack for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is a relaxing track that will get you nodding along with it, as well as excited for the film. The soundtrack itself hits theaters the same day as the film, this Friday. On top of that, we’re also finally getting that unreleased Vince Staples track from the very first teaser trailer released almost a year ago.

MAX LVL is a curated selection of single songs currently available on the official Ph LEVEL Spotify playlist.

Chris Messina Cast in Birds of Prey

Warner Bros. has released the full cast list for their upcoming live-action adaptation for Birds of Prey, and according to Deadline, Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) has been cast in the film as Victor Zsasz, the long-time murderous Batman villain. In the comics, Zsasz is a psychopath dedicated to the “art” of killing, who most notably marks himself with a cut for every life he’s taken.

Messina joins Junee Smollett-Bell, headlining the film as Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth Winstead will co-star as the Huntress, with Margot Robbie returning as Harley Quinn, and Ewan McGregor as Black mask. Birds of Prey hits theaters on February 7th, 2020.

The Lego Movie 2 Releases Short – Emmet’s Holiday Party

Warner Bros. has released a new short for the upcoming The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. The new short is holiday-themed with Emmet (Chris Pratt) planning a massive holiday party that can ominously be seen “from space.”

In the end, the lovable builder brings together all of Apocalypsburg. The short features plenty of the humor that made the first film so fantastic, and does a great job of building hype for its sequel, which hits theaters on February 8th, 2019.

Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas Announced

Netflix has revealed that the wait for a little more Aggretsuko is shorter than we thought. While season 2 is still in the works, the relatable red panda is getting her own Christmas special, Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas. Oh, and the teaser features a performance from Rancid’s Tim Timebomb, which is amazing.

“While Retsuko desperately makes plans for Christmas Eve, her new obsession with seeking validation through social media spirals out of control.”

Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas releases on Netflix on December 20th.

Legendary Announces Reboot of Toxic Avenger

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary Pictures has acquired the film rights to The Toxic Avenger with plans to produce a full franchise based on the film and its characters. The original series was released by Troma Pictures, and it was directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Micheal Herz. Troma has since featured the iconic character as their mascot for many years.

Kaufman and Herz will oversee the franchise for Legendary Pictures with no additional details for the reboot, such as writer or director. The Toxic Avenger helped rocket Troma Pictures to fame in the independent film community, helping to launch the careers and inspire many notable filmmakers, including James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy).

First Look at Carmen Sandiego Reboot Revealed

After what seems like ages since its initial reveal, Entertainment Weekly has given us our first look at the upcoming animated series for Carmen Sandiego, starring Gina Rodriguez (Jane The Virgin) as the voice of the titular criminal. According to the reveal, the 20-episode series will be split between the present, and Carmen’s past into shaping her into the master thief she’s known as.

It’s nice to see that the interesting visual style presented in the teaser image has carried through to the show, as it was unique and looks incredibly fun. Hit the jump to check out a few additional images from the series. Carmen Sandiego hits Netflix on January 18th, 2019.

First Trailer for Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac

Netflix has released the first, wildly controversial, trailer for its upcoming reboot, Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac. On top of the animation style departure, with a transition from 2D to 3D animation, the series has also updated Andromeda Shun to be a female character for more representation.

While the change is understandable, fans are up in arms over the decision to change the fan-favorite character who always acted as the outlier for the male characters in the series to begin with. His sensitivity and drive to end fights with as little violence as possible reinforced the idea that men can be sensitive, and the update somewhat goes in reverse in that regard, given there were plenty of female characters they could have put the work in to explore. I’ll leave the judgment to you, when Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac hits Netflix next summer.

New Godzilla: King of the Monsters Trailer Drops

Legendary and Warner Bros. Pictures have released the second full trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, giving us our first fantastic looks at Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, an updated design for Godzilla, and even a few surprise monsters.

This latest trailer is in stark contrast to the last, subdued and more operatic first trailer, now featuring loads of city destruction and kaiju-on-kaiju battles, including what is sure to be an iconic closing shot. Godzilla: King of the Monsters hits theaters on May 31st, 2019.

Panzer Dragoon Remake Announced

Game studio, Forever Entertainment, has announced that they’re working with Sega to develop Panzer Dragoon Remake, and Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Remake, HD remasters of the cult classic game and its sequel for modern systems. Details are slim, but Panzer Dragoon Remake will see a 2019 release.

Panzer Dragoon: Remake is a refreshed version of Panzer Dragoon. The original version of the game had its premiere on the Sega Saturn console in 1995 and was well received by both players and critics. The entire Panzer Dragoon series has been repeatedly remade and released on many platforms. The last re-launch took place in April 2018 on Xbox One, where players can play Panzer Dragoon Orta with a backward compatibility. The new version of the game will be characterized by a completely new graphics compatible with today’s standards and several modifications of the game, making it more attractive to modern players, while remaining faithful to the original in terms of story. The first materials from the game will be presented in the upcoming months!