Rogue One: A Story Wars Story will be Lucasfilm's first spin-off film that doesn't follow the classic Skywalker saga. The film is still in projection and is supposed to be released at the end of the year, but the creative team is still trying to figure a few things out about how it will be presented to fans.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed to EW that she and the creative team still haven't decided on if Rogue One or any of the other standalone spinoffs films will incorporate the classic opening crawl, which has been a staple of the Star Wars film franchise. It sounds like they might want to distance these spinoff films from the main saga films. She explains:

“We talk about that all the time. It’s something that we’re right in the midst of discussing even now, so I don’t want to say definitively what we’re doing. The crawl and some of those elements live so specifically within the ‘saga’ films that we are having a lot of discussion about what  will define the [stand-alone] Star Wars Stories separate and apart from the saga films. So we’re right in the middle of talking about that.”

I'm not sure what the "other elements" she's talking about are, but I personally think they should keep the crawl. It's a Star Wars staple. As long as the movie takes place in the Star Wars universe, it makes sense that the crawl would be there to kick it off and pull the fans into the film. I'm not going to make a huge fuss if they do decide to get rid of it, but I hope they do keep it.

Do you think they should keep the opening crawl? Would you even care if they got rid of it?

I've got a hilarious video mashup for you to watch today that combines the classic World of Warcraft viral sensation Leeroy Jenkins with the latest Game of Thrones episode, "The Battle Of The Bastards." If you saw the episode, then you know that Jon Snow pulled a Leeroy Jenkins with his genius plan of just blindly rushing into battle. Sure, it's brave and courageous, but it was completely stupid! The video below was created by The Blind Editor, who basically just included the audio of Leeroy Jenkins and his epically failed World Of Warcraft raid into Snow's own suicidal rush attack. If you are familiar with these two things, prepare to laugh your ass off, because this is hilarious. 

The ultimate edition of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is officially heading back to theaters as a limited theatrical release in the U.S. The cut of this film includes a ton of new footage that pushes the running time to 151 minutes. I’m actually curious about seeing this, as I hope that the extended cut flows a little better than the original cut.

Warner Brothers released the following statement on their DC All-Access app about the release:

"As a thank you to all of the fans, Zack [Snyder] and the filmmakers would like to invite you to a special theatrical screening of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition. This one night only experience will be on Monday, June 27th in select cities. Reserve your seats now as space is limited."

Tickets can be purchased online right now at the WB Tickets website. You can also see the list of the cities and theaters that the film will be playing in at the site as well. I’ve also included a new trailer for the Ultimate Edition of the film which features more new unseen footage.

Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition will be available on blu-ray and DVD on July 19th.

There's a been a lot of discussion regarding Star Trek fan films recently because of a lawsuit that CBS and Paramount Pictures slapped on a fan film called Star Trek: Axanar. J.J. Abrams said the lawsuit would be dropped, but the studio still hasn't dropped it.

They have now released a set of ten guidelines that fans have to follow when making their fan films to avoid being sued. I've gotta say, the rules of what fans can and can't do are pretty oppressive and a little confusing. As you'll see, they obviously don't want the fans films to be better than what they are currently producing. In a statement released at StarTrek.com they say:

Dear Star Trek fans,

Star Trek fandom is like no other.

Your support, enthusiasm and passion are the reasons that Star Trek has flourished for five decades and will continue long into the future. You are the reason the original Star Trek series was rescued and renewed in 1968, and the reason it has endured as an iconic and multi-generational phenomenon that has spawned seven television series and 13 movies.

Throughout the years, many of you have expressed your love for the franchise through creative endeavors such as fan films. So today, we want to show our appreciation by bringing fan films back to their roots.

The heart of these fan films has always been about expressing one’s love and passion for Star Trek. They have been about fan creativity and sharing unique stories with other fans to show admiration for the TV shows and movies. These films are a labor of love for any fan with desire, imagination and a camera.

We want to support this innovation and encourage celebrations of this beloved cultural phenomenon. It is with this perspective in mind that we are introducing a set of guidelines at Star Trek Fan Films.

Thank you for your ongoing and steadfast enthusiasm and support, which ensure that Star Trek will continue to inspire generations to come.

They sure to make it sound encouraging to fans, doesn't it? Well, their definition of going back to the heart of fan films is discouraging them from making any fan films!  Some of the guidelines are pretty straightforward but some seem absolutely ridiculous. You can read through the guidelines below:

CBS and Paramount Pictures are big believers in reasonable fan fiction and fan creativity, and, in particular, want amateur fan filmmakers to showcase their passion for Star Trek.  Therefore, CBS and Paramount Pictures will not object to, or take legal action against, Star Trek fan productions that are non-professional and amateur and meet the following guidelines.

Guidelines for Avoiding Objections:

1. The fan production must be less than 15 minutes for a single self-contained story, or no more than 2 segments, episodes or parts, not to exceed 30 minutes total, with no additional seasons, episodes, parts, sequels or remakes.  

2. The title of the fan production or any parts cannot include the name “Star Trek.” However, the title must contain a subtitle with the phrase: “A STAR TREK FAN PRODUCTION” in plain typeface. The fan production cannot use the term “official” in either its title or subtitle or in any marketing, promotions or social media for the fan production.

3. The content in the fan production must be original, not reproductions, recreations or clips from any Star Trek production. If non-Star Trek third party content is used, all necessary permissions for any third party content should be obtained in writing.

4. If the fan production uses commercially-available Star Trek uniforms, accessories, toys and props, these items must be official merchandise and not bootleg items or imitations of such commercially available products.

5. The fan production must be a real “fan” production, i.e., creators, actors and all other participants must be amateurs, cannot be compensated for their services, and cannot be currently or previously employed on any Star Trek series, films, production of DVDs or with any of CBS or Paramount Pictures’ licensees.

6. The fan production must be non-commercial:

   • CBS and Paramount Pictures do not object to limited fundraising for the creation of a fan production, whether 1 or 2 segments and consistent with these guidelines, so long as the total amount does not exceed $50,000, including all platform fees, and when the $50,000 goal is reached, all fundraising must cease.

   • The fan production must only be exhibited or distributed on a no-charge basis and/or shared via streaming services without generating revenue.

   • The fan production cannot be distributed in a physical format such as DVD or Blu-ray.

   • The fan production cannot be used to derive advertising revenue including, but not limited to, through for example, the use of pre or post-roll advertising, click-through advertising banners, that is associated with the fan production.

   • No unlicensed Star Trek-related or fan production-related merchandise or services can be offered for sale or given away as premiums, perks or rewards or in connection with the fan production fundraising.

   • The fan production cannot derive revenue by selling or licensing fan-created production sets, props or costumes.

7. The fan production must be family friendly and suitable for public presentation. Videos must not include profanity, nudity, obscenity, pornography, depictions of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or any harmful or illegal activity, or any material that is offensive, fraudulent, defamatory, libelous, disparaging, sexually explicit, threatening, hateful, or any other inappropriate content. The content of the fan production cannot violate any individual’s right of privacy.

8. The fan production must display the following disclaimer in the on-screen credits of the fan productions and on any marketing material including the fan production website or page hosting the fan production: 
   
   “Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made film intended for recreational use.  No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.”

9. Creators of fan productions must not seek to register their works, nor any elements of the works, under copyright or trademark law.

10. Fan productions cannot create or imply any association or endorsement by CBS or Paramount Pictures.

CBS and Paramount Pictures reserve the right to revise, revoke and/or withdraw these guidelines at any time in their own discretion. These guidelines are not a license and do not constitute approval or authorization of any fan productions or a waiver of any rights that CBS or Paramount Pictures may have with respect to fan fiction created outside of these guidelines.

Now that you've read through the guidelines, what do you think? You can always make your own creative vision of a Star Trek film by not following these guidelines, but then you run the risk of being sued, which CBS and Paramount obviously don't have a problem doing. 

And I thought I was cool when we could play Oregon Trail, Math Blaster, and Kid Pix back in school! Now The Verge is telling us Civilization V is getting an educational...read more on Gametyrant

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James Wan has horror fans gripping their armrests in theaters right now with The Conjuring 2, and now Warner Bros. has released the newest trailer for a horror thriller he produced called Lights Out. It's based on a short film by David F. Sandberg (who also directed the full feature), and it follows a pair of children who encounter a horrifying spirit who only shows up in the dark and disappears when the lights are turned on. As it turns out, their mother has a unique connection to this sinister force, and it looks like this will be a tense, imaginative experience for horror fans everywhere. (But for the love of God, will studios cut it out already with the "sad, slow, creepy covers of popular songs" trend that's poisoned trailers over the past few years?)

The film stars Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Billy Burke, Alexander DiPersia, and Maria Bello.

Lights Out hits theaters on July 22, 2016.

A tale of an unknown terror that lurks in the dark. When Rebecca left home, she thought she left her childhood fears behind. Growing up, she was never really sure of what was and wasn’t real when the lights went out…and now her little brother, Martin, is experiencing the same unexplained and terrifying events that had once tested her sanity and threatened her safety. A frightening entity with a mysterious attachment to their mother, Sophie, has reemerged. But this time, as Rebecca gets closer to unlocking the truth, there is no denying that all their lives are in danger…once the lights go out.

Before the Coen Brothers became the legendary Hollywood figures they are today, they were scrappy, upstart filmmakers with a dream looking for a way to raise money for their first feature film. And way before the days of Kickstarter, they took some advice from their roommate — Evil Dead director Sam Raimi — and made a short trailer as a way to pitch the project to potential investors. From Vanity Fair:

"Sam taught us that if you call on the phone and ask people to invest in a movie they’ll tell you to go hell," Joel Coen explains in an interview that will be featured on the upcoming Criterion Collection DVD and Blu-ray release of Blood Simple, which will be available in September. "But if you tell them ‘I have a piece of film to show you,’ then some of the would let you come into their living room and set up your little projector and show it to them."

VF also has the fake trailer itself, which has never been seen online before. It stars Bruce Campbell in the role of Julian Marty, which would eventually go to Dan Hedaya in the real version of the 1984 movie. Looks like Raimi helped out with that connection, too (these guys were all buds back in the day, and Joel Coen was the assistant editor on The Evil Dead). Take a look at it below, and keep your eyes peeled for the 4k digital restoration of Blood Simple from Criterion Collection coming back to limited theaters on July 1:

For the past couple years, it feels as though the Steam Summer sale has become a gamer's holiday. Game prices plummet and people empty their wallets...read more on Gametyrant

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Netflix may finally be able to let you stream without an internet connection. The news comes from LightReading, whose sources say the company is developing an "offline mode" set for release later this year. The mode will allow people to select films or shows to download temporarily to their device for viewing offline.

As someone who traveled recently, this would be a lifesaver for plane rides! I don't want to pay 12 bucks for wifi, and I don't want to pay 8 bucks to rent a movie! I already pay monthly for Netflix, so why can't I watch it whenever I want without restrictions? It would be a dream to be able to stream an entire car/plane ride away with my favorite show. Let's hope this news is legit, because I'm already too excited to be let down!

Han Solo has never looked so grumpy in action figure form! Hot Toys has released their highly detailed Star Wars: The Force Awakens action figures for Han Solo and Chewbacca, and as you can see, Solo isn't taking any shit from anybody! Old Man Solo is definitely an action figure worth adding to your collection! I wonder if they'll release an alternate version of Solo with a lightsaber going through his chest. 

“Chewie, we’re home.” – Han Solo

The latest entry to the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, have broken numerous box-office records around the world! The return of the original cast have been one of the biggest highlights of the epic blockbuster and today, Hot Toys is very excited to introduce a special collectible set featuring the new 1/6th scale collectible figures of Han Solo and Chewbacca from Star Wars: The Force Awakens! 

The highly-accurate Han Solo collectible figure is specially crafted based on the image of Harrison Ford as Han Solo in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens featuring a newly developed head sculpt and hands, specially tailored outfit and winter gear, all-new blaster pistol, and a specially designed figure stand. 

The highly-accurate Chewbacca collectible figure is specially crafted based on the image of the Wookie warrior in Star Wars: The Force Awakens featuring a new face sculpt with articulated jaw, newly developed multiple layers of fabric hair with various shades of brown throughout whole body capturing Chewbacca’s unique appearance, all-new bowcaster and bandolier bag, and a specially designed figure stand.

This collectible set will additionally include 3 thermal detonators, a remote detonator, and 2 Starkiller Base-themed bases attachable to Han Solo and Chewbacca’s hexagonal figure stands as bonus accessories.

Star Wars fans shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to add the legendary duo to your collection!

Deadline reports that Thunder Road Pictures — the company behind movies like The Town and Sicario — has acquired a spec script titled Trigger Warning that's described as a female-led mix between Rambo and another Thunder Road action thriller, John Wick, in which "the reluctant heroine reveals herself in a small town."

A History of Violence writer Josh Olson and The Game scribe John Brancato (who also penned Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator Salvation) wrote the script. As the outlet points out, gender-bent twists on traditional plots are en vogue right now with Ghostbusters and the upcoming Ocean's Eight, so this fits in alongside those pretty well. I just hope Ronda Rousey doesn't end up starring in it. I'd love to see someone with some legitimate acting ability take on a role like this (sorry, Ronda).

There aren't any directors or actors attached yet, but it has a potentially interesting premise and certainly has a provocative title, so I imagine this will get some decent attention as long as the filmmakers work hard enough to make sure it's better than direct-to-DVD level material.

Arrow lost some fans last season. You know it, I know it, CW knows it, and Stephen Amell definitely knows it. I kind of feel for the guy having to go to cons and press junkets and more or less defend the show's direction for the past two seasons, when ultimately he has little to do with it, other than he's the main star. Now, he's trying to give us some hope. 

Initially reported by Uproxx, Amell is saying that the opening sequence of the new season of Arrow has him excited for what's to come. His exact words?

If [the premiere] is any indication, Arrow is going to be f–king mean this year, and that’s really exciting.

Forgive me for being skeptical, Stephen, but I'm a bit jaded by the past two seasons. While I desperately want to believe that next season of Arrow will be a return to form that made the show so great to begin with, I still have a sense of reality about me. We'll see when the premiere comes around if you're right or not.

Just read 5.01 -- 🔥🔥🔥#Arrow

— Stephen Amell (@StephenAmell) June 22, 2016

"You have 21 days to get as ripped as you've ever been for the most vicious 'oner' in the history of network tv. No stunt double."

— Stephen Amell (@StephenAmell) June 22, 2016

One of the movies I'm most excited about seeing this year is Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment's animated film adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke. This is such an incredible and intense story and it's exciting that it's being brought to life in animated form with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and The Joker. 

In a recent in-depth interview with DC All Access, Conroy spoke about reprising his role of Batman and how the film will expand on the story we know from the graphic novel. He even teased Batman's laugh in the iconic scene from the novel where he and the Joker break down in hysterical laughter. Conroy says:

"They've expanded some of the story a bit. There's much more Batgirl in this -- so that plot line is more developed. And the internal struggle that Batman has in wrestling with the demons and the Joker is much more explored. There are a couple of really wonderful scenes that I have with Mark that I'm really proud of. [Batman]'s actually trying to -- I think, at one point --- draw the evil out of the Joker. It's a very cathartic process for Batman...It's a very complete arc for him."

As for the laugh that Batman and the Joker share at the end of the story, Conroy says that "Batman laughs...very heartily." He then proceeds to give a little tease of what Batman laughing would sound like. Here's the plot summary for the R-rated animated movie:

What does it take for a person to snap? How much despair for a mind to fracture? These are the twisted questions that The Joker has set out to answer, to show Gotham that even an ordinary man like Commissioner Gordon is only one bad day away from sheer insanity. Based on the acclaimed DC Comics graphic novel, witness a journey into the dark psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime. Follow his humble beginnings as a struggling comic to his fateful encounter with the Dark Knight that changed everything. Fueled by the return of Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker, witness the birth of a super villain, the fortitude of a hero and the punch line that will leave you speechless.

Batman: The Killing Joke will premiere at San Diego Comic-Con and it will be released on VOD on July 26, and it will hit Blu-ray and DVD on August 2nd. 

The world is in turmoil right now, so it looks like Ewan McGregor's directorial debut, an adaptation of Philip Roth's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel American Pastoral, will be more timely than ever. Lionsgate has just released the first poster and trailer, which taps into civil unrest and piques my interest in a big way. Here's a statement from McGregor that came along with the press release:

I have dreamt of directing a feature for the last 15 years and never found the 'right' story. I wanted to direct, not for the sake of being a director, but because there was a story I HAD to tell. Well American Pastoral gave me everything I was looking for. I was incredibly lucky that I had Lakeshore's trust and incredible talent in front of and behind the camera to make Roth's story the film I thought it should be. The creative collaboration with the cast and the crew was as thrilling as I had hoped it would be. I was a very happy man making this film and it is the film I wanted it to be.

I have to admit that when I heard the first few notes of "Mad World" come in, I immediately balked because that song is so clearly associated with Donnie Darko. But after watching the whole trailer and seeing the desperation and discontent it depicts, it's an admittedly apt song choice.

McGregor stars alongside Jennifer Connelly and Dakota Fanning, and the film arrives in theaters on October 21, 2016. What do you think?

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Philip Roth novel, AMERICAN PASTORAL follows a family whose seemingly idyllic existence is shattered by the social and political turmoil of the 1960s. Ewan McGregor (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Beginners) makes his directorial debut and stars as Seymour "Swede" Levov, a once legendary high school athlete who is now a successful businessman married to Dawn, a former beauty queen. But turmoil brews beneath the polished veneer of Swede's life. When his beloved teenage daughter, Merry, disappears after being accused of committing a violent act, Swede dedicates himself to finding her and reuniting his family. What he discovers shakes him to the core, forcing him to look beneath the surface and confront the chaos that is shaping the world around him.

Today, Entertainment Earth revealed one of their many toys exclusive to San Diego Comic-Con. If you happen to be attending this year, you can get your hands on this "Joker in the Box" made specifically to look like Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. I'm sure I'll have no chance at picking him up, but that won't stop me from trying! It kind of makes me laugh looking at how goofy it is! Check out a picture below:

Surprise, surprise: Independence Day and Independence Day: Resurgence director Roland Emmerich has lined up another disaster movie to direct. Deadline reports that Universal has acquired the rights to a spec script he wrote with 2012 collaborator Harold Kloser and writer Spencer Cohen called Moonfall. And if you know anything about Roland Emmerich movies, I bet you can guess exactly what it's going to be about.

Yep, the story is described as "2012 mashed together with Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, following an unlikely band of misfits who must unite to save humanity when the moon falls out of orbit and hurtles towards earth." How any character would be able to accomplish such a task remains to be seen, but I'm betting there will be explosions galore and at least a massive wave or two as the moon throws off the balance of the ocean tides. The studio bought this idea for seven figures and is fast-tracking the project, so we may see it hit theaters as soon as next year.

It doesn't sound like this is the same Moonfall that Darren Aronofsky was toying with directing a couple of years ago, so we'll have to see if that project ever emerges under a different name.

One of the entertainment industry's best known warnings is: never work with kids or animals. It has to be hard working with child actors, right? Even if the child is the most well-behaved kid on the planet, they're going to get exhausted doing the same line over and over again, and they only have so much to pull from to get it the way you want it.

It seems as though Pixar understood this when they casted Jordan Nagai as the voice of Russell in Up. In this short video from a few years ago, the filmmakers talk about the struggles and conquering challenges of getting "organic" acting from a classically trained child to make it sound real. It kind of comes off as jerkish the way director Pete Docter talks about it, but I get where he's coming from. Better to make a child struggle now than years on because they put on a bad performance *cough* Young Anakin *cough*.

I would love to watch Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller's new CBS Star Trek TV series, but it's going to take a hell of a lot to get me to pay to subscribe to CBS All Access because that would literally be the only thing I'd watch on that network. But if the show does a perfect job casting and there's crazy buzz from fans, I might end up giving it a shot. Fuller is definitely excited about the challenge of bringing Trek back to the small screen, and Collider caught up with him at the Saturn Awards and managed to get him to reveal a few key pieces of information fans will want to know about.

First up, the first season will contain a single story told over the course of thirteen episodes. Fuller and his writers have the whole arc of season one already planned out, and the stories for the first six episodes have been broken (meaning, broken down into beat-by-beat moments).

He also said that he and his team have chosen sound stages and the sets will be going up soon, and streaming on CBS All Access will give them freedom when it comes to runtimes and network broadcast standards and practices. ("It will likely affect us more in terms of what we can do graphically, but Star Trek’s not necessarily a universe where I want to hear a lot of profanity, either.") They haven't settled on directors yet, but they have locked down Splice and Cube director Vincenzo Natali as a producing director (Natali also directed a few episodes of Hannibal, hence the connection). When it comes to casting, he said:

I’ve met with a few actors, and it’s an interesting process. There’s a few people that we like and we want to carry on what Star Trek does best, which is being progressive. So it’s fascinating to look at all of these roles through a colorblind prism and a gender-blind prism, so that’s exciting.

Fuller stopped short of officially confirming an LGBTQ character will appear in the series, but he did say, "I think the progressive audience that loves Star Trek will be happy that we’re continuing that tradition."

He also spoke about putting his own unique spin on the world of Trek:

We have hired VFX producers, and they’re working with the companies and culling the team together because we need to do a lot of things in-house because if we start paying FX houses per shot for something for the things we want to do like digital augmentation on certain alien species, how we’re going to see the transporter beams, we’re trying to cultivate distinct looks for all of those things that are unique to our version of Star Trek and carry through the themes we love seeing in fifty years of Star Trek, but doing a slightly different approach.

Perhaps most intriguingly, Fuller said he expects to be able to start sharing some more concrete information around the time of Comic-Con, so we don't have much longer to wait. For a few more little details about what he has in store for the show, check out the rest of the interview.

Well, here's a part of Zootopia I'm glad I didn't see! This deleted scene goes further into the "taming" aspect of the film and it's pretty damn sad! That's saying a lot, considering the frames aren't fully drawn, this never actually happened, and animals do not actually deal with these things in real life! I'm sure the scene was removed for painting an otherwise happy film in a darker light. Just goes to show you the power of Disney storytelling! Check it out below.

Entertainment Weekly has been steadily doling out information about Gareth Edwards' upcoming Star Wars spinoff/prequel/standalone film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story this week, and the slow drip continues today with six brand new images from the movie.

You'll have to visit their site to get a taste of the "burning questions" they have about what these images might mean, because I'm not super interested in parsing out every last detail before I see the movie for myself. I'd like to have some elements actually be a surprise when I'm sitting in the theater, and it looks like the time is quickly approaching where I'm going to have to decide whether watching the second trailer when it debuts online is going to be worth missing out on seeing those moments on the big screen for the first time.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story blasts into theaters on December 16, 2016.