In addition to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo is planning to release a new Mario and Pokemon game within the first months of Nintendo NX...read more on GameTyrant

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If you're a fan of The Joker, you have to watch this incredibly well-made fan film called The Laughing Man. It comes from the Hallivis Brothers, who previously directed a sci-fi action film called Shifter that we posted a couple years ago. They did an awesome job with this Joker film and it offers us a unique and intense take on the character. Here's the synopsis that came along with the video:

The Laughing Man references Scott Snyder’s “Death of the Family” Batman comic and takes place in a psychiatric facility where a new, unidentified arrival is being questioned. Viewers are taken on a tense excursion into brutal, bloody territory as the dialogue unfurls into a high-stakes role reversal.

The guy they got to play the Joker in this short is pretty terrifying and he does a great job bringing this iconic character to life in this story. This is a dark and disturbing film and it's probably NSFW. The short grabbed me from the very beginning and I was completely engulfed in the story until the very end. I hope you all enjoy it.

I didn't expect Jared Leto's Joker to be in every scene of Suicide Squad, but I did think he'd be in the movie a lot more than he actually is. I still haven't seen the film myself, but Joey said in his review that Leto only appears for about 10 minutes. Apparently that wasn't always the case, though, because in an interview with Telestar (via Uproxx), the actor spoke about a good number of his scenes ending up on the cutting room floor:

“Yeah, there are a lot of scenes that didn’t make it to the final film. Hopefully they’ll see the light of day. Who knows.”

Yesterday we learned that there was a tumultuous battle going on behind-the-scenes of this film, with the studio wanting a lighter, more comedic film and director David Ayer holding out for a darker version of the story. The studio went as far as to hire multiple editors (and a company that cuts movie trailers) to work on their desired cut of the film as Ayer worked on his, and while there were apparently some compromises made, WB's version reportedly won out in the end. Since Leto's Joker doesn't seem exactly like a lighthearted character from the marketing we've seen, it stands to reason that the stuff he filmed was probably pretty dark, so maybe that footage was in Ayer's cut that didn't quite make it through the studio gauntlet.

Considering WB's tactic of releasing the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice R-rated cut on Blu-ray and how reactions to that version dominated the geek news cycle for a little while, it seems like an obvious decision for them to do the same thing for Suicide Squad to try to eek out a little more money from the home video market than they would have otherwise. So I'm guessing we'll end up seeing everything Ayer put on film before this is all said and done.

And in case anyone had any bizarre doubts that Leto wouldn't be returning, OF COURSE he's coming back to reprise the role in another movie down the line:

“I learned a lot about the Joker the more that I worked on the character, and I think that’s probably going to continue to happen. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had with a character.”

Suicide Squad hits theaters tonight.

Yeah, you read me right.

Aquaman isn't due to be released until 2018, and by then we'll have seen the character fight alongside the Justice League in Zack Snyder's upcoming epic. Looking past that, we have The Flash and Aquaman, and while The Flash is probably going to be a fun ride, Aquaman is going to give us a world and character that's been relatively untapped in the mainstream. To most, Aquaman is nothing but a joke character — only swimming around in the ocean in his pretty orange and green suit, talking to fish and stuff — but he's so much more than that.

There's been some controversy surrounding Aquaman's pre-production, and while some may see this as signs of red-alert, I think it's going to help in giving us not only a quality Aquaman film, but a standout film that could potentially become iconic. Come venture with me as I give you five reasons why you should believe my crazy ramblings!

5. Atlantis

Having been shrouded in mystery and debated among many for thousands of years, Atlantis hasn't been explored that much on film. Maybe studio execs believe it's not marketable for some reason? Regardless, Atlantis is rich in mythology itself, not to mention the many stories Wan has to pull from the Aquaman comics. There's so much potential to deliver some unique settings and situations set within the city and surrounding ocean that should give us some epic visuals and design. With most of the film presumably taking place underwater, it's a perfect opportunity to give us an extra dimension that can be explored in an interesting way that we haven't seen before.

4. Rewrites

In recent news, it was announced that Will Beall was re-hired after leaving the project's script to Wan's Conjuring 2 collaborator David Leslie Johnson. Johnson's script has been "scrapped" and Beall will write from a treatment written by Wan and the Co-Head of DC Films, Geoff Johns. Now, Beall doesn't have that great of a track record, I'll admit, and is responsible for films such as (cringe) Gangster Squad and The Legend of Conan. So you're probably asking, "Why is this a good thing?"

It's good because it's showing us that Wan is committed and passionate about this project. Amid some creative talent dropping away from the DCEU, he's standing strong and not settling for any script that's handed down the pipeline. Sure, Beall doesn't have that great of a track record, but Wan does, and it's ultimately his story. With his supervision and input, the script should be up to par.

3. Jason Momoa

He certainly is a friggin monster, isn't he? I mean, just look at him. First thing: I can totally see him punching a shark right in the face. I'm sure he has, actually.

The casting of Jason Momoa is inspired, giving us a hulking Arthur Curry that's capable of visually standing toe to toe with any of the heroes in the Justice League. Not only is he massive, but he can pull off a cocky attitude that lines up with his character perfectly. He's going to deliver a very believable Curry/Aquaman, and it'll be great to watch him shatter the years of preconceptions that come with the character.

2. He's More Interesting Than You Think

Speaking of preconceptions, Aquaman has had a bad rep in the public eye for many, many years. Yes, he has a legion of dedicated fans, but there are legions more who just see him as a glorified Sea-World trainer. If you're one of those people, lend your eyes to this panel below, where he just straight-up rocks Superman in the face.

Yeah. That happened.

The constant pressures from the ocean deep make his skin impenetrable, and as a result, it makes him, well, really strong. He obviously can't beat Superman or anything, but he can definitely hold his own in a fight with mostly any adversary. Also, guess what? He doesn't talk to fish! Yeah! The brains of fish are too primitive to converse, so it's more persuasion with a sort of mental telepathy. Might not be a lot cooler, but it's cooler! And you know what? He can tap into primitive, fishy sections of your brain to do some real damage, too. Yeah. Aquaman is kind of a badass, people.

I could keep going on with reasons why Aquaman is a lot more than just talking (telepathically communicating) to fish. He's a genuine hero that deserves his place in the Justice League, and this movie will show us that he deserves some respect very soon.

1. James Wan

Have you seen The Conjuring 2? It's a masterpiece of horror filmmaking, and maybe filmmaking in general. Wan is one of the most talent directors working today. He has a unique eye for framing shots and moving the camera in creative ways that keep you on your toes while simultaneously getting the best out of his casts. He recently spoke, albeit briefly, about Aquaman at this year's Comic-Con, saying:

"Fucking Aquaman! What can I say? Aquaman's such an amazing character. I love the fact that he's never really been portrayed in the feature movie world before...and the opportunity to explore this universe, you know, bring a bit of my horror element into this. The deep sea is a scary world. And then also explore the wondrous world of Atlantis. That's all I have to say."

Wan is the perfect mind to have on a project like this. We know less about our oceans than we do about space, which gives him infinite paths to take. The prospect of getting some of his long, slow, and intense shots in the black deep, with any manner of creature lurking in the darkness, is very tantalizing. He's masterful in building tension with his visuals and pacing, and if his previous work indicates quality for the future, we should have more faith in him than say, Zack Snyder, who is a step above Michael Bay at this point.

Aquaman is going to surprise many people. With so much source material to pick from, a great director with a palpable passion for his project, and a solid cast, we might just look at this film as the standout in the DCEU for many years to come. Our first non-cameo glimpse of Aquaman will be in Justice League next year, with his solo film coming in July 2018.

Who do you think the standout character of the DCEU will be? Is it one of the recent Suicide Squad members? Wonder Woman? Batfleck? Let us know in the comments below!

Suicide Squad is currently sitting at a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, but there are some out there — like Joey and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins — who loved the film. Still, the response has been overwhelmingly negative so far, and Reuters caught up with the cast and writer/director David Ayer on the red carpet to ask them about their feelings about the reviews so far:

Cara Delevingne: “The critics have been absolutely horrific. They’re really, really horrible. You know, I just don’t think they like superhero movies. I know there's a lot of them. This movie isn't perfect, but it's a wonderful film. The characters are incredible, we all worked really, really hard, and it doesn’t really matter what the critics say at the end of the day, it’s the fans that we made this movie for.”

Margot Robbie: “Critical acclaim is really nice, but we made it for the fans. If the fans like it, then we did our job.”

David Ayer: "I made the movie for real people who live in the real world. I made the movie for people who actually love movies and go and see movies. The movie's a lot of fun and the fans are really going to enjoy it."

Will Smith: "What [Ayer] did, what he was able to create, how he was able to take this DC world and bend it into a really different thing, he made it a really unique thing, you know? I think people had expectations that may have been different, but I'm excited for the fans to get to vote."

Sorry Ms. Delevingne, but the idea that critics don't like superhero movies is so laughable that I'm not even going to waste time responding to it. I understand that the cast worked hard to make the movie, but unfortunately just because you work hard and you have a story about characters that people love from comics, books, or other source material, that doesn't automatically make the movie great. And Ayer's claim about making movies for people who love movies? That's film critics, dude! I know there are probably some grumpy exceptions (I'm sure you'll have your own claims about this in the comments), but here's a secret: for the most part, film critics truly do love movies — that's the entire reason they write about them and spend their entire lives engulfed in all things movies. 

I get it: it's not fun to be criticized. It's not fun to work hard on something for a year or more, put it out into the world, and watch it get torn to shreds. But not every movie will be beloved by everyone, and instead of demonizing critics, the people who make these films need to start being better about owning their decisions and rolling with the punches. It's OK to say they made something for the fans, but trashing critics along the way sort of makes them seem petty and thin-skinned, doesn't it?

I'd like to point you to the article I wrote about a similar topic when the Batman v Superman cast responded to that movie's bad reviews, because a lot of the same things apply here.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but contrary to what Ayer claims here and what some people in our comments sections like to assume, I do actually want the film to be great and I still hope I love it when I see it.

Suicide Squad hits theaters tonight.

Not enough people are talking about Star Trek Beyond, one of the rare live-action tentpole studio releases this summer that's really worth seeing. It's a lot of fun and a strong entry into the Trek franchise, worthy of the celebration surrounding the series' 50th anniversary. But while the film introduces one female character in Sofia Boutella's badass Jaylah (named after Jennifer Lawrence), it takes away another female role with Alice Eve's Carol Marcus, who, after appearing in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness, isn't so much as referenced in the new movie. So what gives? Where was the character while the rest of the Enterprise crew was going beyond?

Co-writer/actor Simon Pegg (who I interviewed about the movie here) spoke with host Jordan Hoffman on Engage: The Official Star Trek Podcast (a wonderful new podcast everyone should listen to) and answered that very question:

“With this it felt like we would under-serve her if we included her, she might end up feeling like she hadn’t been given the amount of screen time she deserves, so rather than bring her in and just have her be a supporting role, like, have her not be in this one, and when the time comes [bring her back]. The worst thing to do would be to have her in the film and have that character be killed, and that felt like a cynical thing to do. We thought rather than have Carol Marcus not be used to a reasonable capacity, let’s just not include her, have her be alive, in canon, and ready to come back at any time.”

I suppose that's a good enough reason not to include someone, and yes, killing her off after a very small amount of screen time would have felt cheap and unreasonable. At least now the option is on the table to bring her back and develop her character further if the filmmakers want to in Star Trek 4. What do you think? Did you miss her in Beyond? Do you think she deserves to be fleshed out more down the road?

Transcription via The Playlist

I just watched 1988's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels for the first time a few weeks ago, and the Michael Caine and Steve Martin comedy still holds up fairly well today. But Variety reports that MGM is developing a gender-swapped remake of the con man comedy and they've cast Pitch Perfect's Rebel Wilson in one of the lead roles.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was a remake of Marlon Brando and David Niven's 1964 film Bedtime Story, and it followed two con artists — a high class aristocrat (Caine) and a low-rent flim-flam man (Martin) — as they competed to win a wealthy woman's money. The new film will be set in modern day and feature two women who "compete to swindle a naive tech prodigy out of his fortune."

I'm not opposed to the gender-swapping aspect of this movie (if Hollywood is going to incessantly remake movies, at least gender-swapping provides the basis for a relatively fresh take on a story), but I'm not the biggest fan of Wilson's. I'm not crazy about her schtick and she hasn't shown a lot of range, but I will say that if she ends up playing the high-class part that Caine played in the '88 film, that would be a huge change of pace for her and would make me far more interested in this remake than I am now. (The ending of the '88 movie might also need to be tweaked a little for this version to avoid controversy.)

What do you think? Have you seen the '88 movie? Since Wilson's on board regardless, do you want to see her in the Caine or Martin role?

After taking their lumps from the gaming community for a PC port that was said by some to be "worse than Arkham Knight," Activision is finally doing right...read more on GameTyrant

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Kubo and the Two Strings looks like a visually dazzling movie, and the team at Laika and Focus Features has been doing a good job of keeping our interest for this film at its peak. The trailers have all been strong, but my favorite thing they've released so far is this awesome making-of featurette that reveals how they pulled off some of the incredible stop-motion filmmaking that we'll see in the film when it hits theaters later this month. Now they've released another cool video, and this one is an interactive map that lets you explore the realm that the characters travel. Check it out below:

An epic action-adventure from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of “Game of Thrones”) ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato (George Takei), Hashi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), and Kameyo (Brenda Vaccaro). But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Rooney Mara), to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family, and fulfill his heroic destiny.

Kubo and the Two Strings hits theaters on August 19, 2016.

Couch Tomato, PD, and Hulk sit down and discuss the fifth installment of the Bourne franchise, Jason Bourne (2016). Listen on PodTyrant

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I'm still really hoping I end up liking Suicide Squad as much as Joey did, but I won't know until I see it for myself this weekend. In the meantime, though, check out this rad LEGO version of one of the movie's 1.8 million trailers and TV spots that have been released over the past few months. The VFX breakdown below will make you appreciate it even more!

Via: Sploid

Christopher Nolan received a mixed response to his 2014 space epic Interstellar, and now Warner Bros. has debuted the first teaser trailer for his follow-up movie, Dunkirk. It's a WWII film Nolan wrote himself (and directed, obviously), and it's inspired by Operation Dynamo, a 1940 mission that freed over 300,000 Allied troops who were trapped in the French city of Dunkirk by the Nazis.

The movie is being billed as an "epic action thriller" and it stars Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, James D'Arcy, and Harry Styles. The teaser doesn't give us much in the way of footage, but it does have a nice sense of tension built into it. Let us knwo what you think below.

Dunkirk hits theaters on July 21, 2017.

Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley is jumping on board a potential new film franchise called Chaos Walking, which is being directed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow). The film will be an adaptation of a popular young adult novel series written by Patrick Ness. 

The first book in the series is called Chaos Walking: The Knife of Never Letting Go, and it’s set in a “dystopian world where all living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts.” Here’s the official book description:

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

I assume that Ridley will be taking on the role of the strange and silent girl in the story. This sounds like an intriguing story that will make for a great film project for the actress to be a part of. There are three books total, and I’m sure Lionsgate is hoping that they will get to adapt all three of them for the big screen.

We all knew that Ridley’s career would blow up after Star Wars. She is also set to star a remake of the Israeli pic Kolma, which is being produced by J.J. Abrams, and she is also on board to star in a film called The Lost Wife. Oh! She’s also got more Star Wars films to make! 

Source: Variety

Judging from the first trailer that was released and the additional footage that was screened at Comic-Con last month, Marvel's Luke Cage looks like it's going to be an incredible series. While we wait to see more footage from it, a fan named Efe Balun has created a powerful opening title sequence for the series. He explained his concept for the opening:

One of the first black superhero in the history of comics and also my personal favorite.

My first concept was to animate various paintings of Jacob Lawrence and Frank Morrison to create an animated canvas. Then it shifts to "power in the eye" idea. I imagine, each episode showcase different figures from long list of real heroes from black history to represent power inside the Power Man - Luke Cage.

Watch the video below and let us know what you think about his concept! Luke Cage is set to be released on Netflix on September 30th, 2016.

Netflix is trying to capitalize on the recent popularity of EDM culture with a film that looks better than We Are Your Friends. Of course, I have no way of knowing that, but this trailer looks promising. In XOXO, Graham Phillips plays a teen producer whose song lands him a spot to perform in one of the largest EDM festivals in the world. We also see Sarah Hyland from Modern Family as a festival-goer and comedian Chris D'Elia featured as well.

The story looks like the classic coming of age in a new era, and the effects look pretty decent. I don't know much about this life, and this trailer made me feel old and out of the loop at 26... Let me know how it makes you feel.

XOXO comes out August 26th on Netflix.

It may have had one sequel too many, but the original Meet The Parents is as good as comedy films can get! Cinefix went and edited footage from the film to make it look like an edge of your seat thriller. It's a little hard to envision when you've seen the movie, but there are moments that still look a little intense! Check it out below.

Antibirth was easily one of the most batshit crazy films that I saw at Sundance this year. The movie stars Natasha Lyonne (American Pie, Orange is the New Black) as a crazy, hard-partying woman who finds herself pregnant. What’s strange about this pregnancy is that she hasn’t had sex in months and her weird condition escalates into complete whacked-out madness! The ending of the film is definitely something you’ll never forget. Here’s the synopsis:

Hard-drinking, pill-popping, bong-ripping Lou (Natasha Lyonne) and her best friend Sadie (Chloë Sevigny) spend their days adrift in a druggy haze. But one wild night out becomes a bad trip that never ends when Lou wakes up with symptoms of an unexplained, highly abnormal pregnancy. Who—or what—is growing inside her? As her due date approaches with alarming swiftness, the fear, paranoia, and conspiracy theories begin to pile up. Spiked with blasts of hallucinatory color, surreal shocks, and subversive comedy, the audacious feature debut from Danny Perez is a no-holds-barred descent into delirium.

Antibirth is set to be released in theaters and VOD on September 2nd. If you decide to watch it, prepare yourself for one hell of a wild ride! 

As you know, critics have been bashing the hell out of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. I thought the film was great, and I can’t understand why it’s getting so much hate. I've seen it twice already, and I enjoyed it more the second time around.

Shortly after the bad reviews started rolling in, there were rumors that the studio cut their own separate version of the film and that the cut that was released in theaters was a compromise of their cut with Ayer’s.

Turns out the final cut of the film is 100% Ayer’s. During an interview with Collider, Ayer set the record straight, and while talking about how there’s a lot of footage that didn’t make the final cut he said:

“We have a chunk, there’s definitely over 10 minutes of material on there. But this cut of the movie is my cut, there’s no sort of parallel universe version of the movie, the released movie is my cut. And that’s one of the toughest things about writing, shooting, and directing a film, is you end up with these orphans and you fucking love them and you think they’d be amazing scenes and do these amazing things but the film is a dictatorship (laughs), not a democracy, and just because something’s cool and charismatic doesn’t mean it gets to survive in the final cut. The flow of the movie is the highest master.”

So there you have it. Suicide Squad is 100% Ayer, and I thought he did a freakin’ awesome job making the movie! It turned out to be the film I was hoping to see, and I’m happy to hear Ayer come out and say that it’s all his. 

There’s no word on if we will see an “extended cut” of the film like Zack Snyder did with Batman v Superman. If it happens, cool. If not, then there will be a lot of extra footage to watch in the special features. It was already reported that a lot of Joker footage was cut from the film, which makes sense because as fun as it is to see him in the movie, this movie doesn’t revolve around The Joker.

I woke up this morning and realized something. I'm not tired of reading non-stop arguments about whether Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a good film or not. I'm sure this latest CinemaSins video will bring lots of civil discussion and everyone will be able to reach a consensus on this film and the state of DC films in general.

If you've been reading this site or just generally keeping up with Star Wars news for the past few years, there's a good chance you've heard of Star Wars: Underworld, the long-rumored live-action TV series that was supposedly going to be made before Disney bought Lucasfilm and kickstarted the film franchise again. Legend has it that over 100 scripts were commissioned and completed for the project before it was abandoned, but Kathleen Kennedy has said those scripts are "gold" and that she wants to "develop those things further." You can read more about it here.

Every once in a while, a report will surface saying that a live-action Star Wars show is being considered, so here we are with the latest version of this ongoing tease. New ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey spoke about the possibility at the Television Critics Association press tour:

Ohh, as a fan, I would absolutely love to say ‘yes.’ The conversations with Lucas[film], we have had conversations with them and will continue to have conversations with them. I think it would be wonderful if we could find a way to extend that brand into our programming. […]

It’s all a little bit hush-hush. That company exists under a big shroud of secrecy. If you feel Marvel’s secretive, [Lucasfilm] takes it to a whole other level … [Talks] are ongoing. We don’t have an official timeline yet.

So, again, nothing concrete at this point. But for fans who have been hanging onto hope that the story of Underworld will one day make it to the inside of your TV screens (or phones, or computers...etc), the fact that "talks are ongoing" is still a good sign.