Director Bryan Singer posted an Instagram video teasing some more footage from X-Men: Days of Future Past. He also reveals that there is going to be a full day of surprises from the movie though Empire.

A full day of #XMen surprises is just around the corner. Follow along on Twitter at @EmpireMagazine and @XMenMovies to see exclusive reveals on January 27th. #Empire25

Singer also describes this reveal as being "The first of its kind." I imagine it has to be some kind of trailer, but I guess we'll have to wait and see how the special X-Men day turns out. A trailer obviously isn't really a new thing, so it can be the first of its kind. There's some cool footage in the video clip below, though. The movie will be released on May 23rd, 2014! 

Here's a humorous and adorable piece of Star Wars and Star Trek mashup art that features Chewbacca and an Ewok wearing Starfleet shirts. The illustration was created by Rey Paez, and I hope you like it!

Writer & Director: Richard Linklater

Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Lorelei Linklater.

Emily Dunbar, Joey Paur, and Free Reyes review Boyhood.

This is your first look at Jeff Bridges and Brenton Thwaites in the big screen adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1993 classic novel The Giver. Producers have been trying to make this adaptation for nearly 20 years.

The story is set in a "colorless dystopian society that enforces Sameness and fears freedom. All memory of human history has been erased, emotion does not exist, and citizens' professions are chosen for them."

Thwaites is playing Jonas, the "community's Receiver of Memories who spends his days being mentored by the Giver (Bridges), who teaches him to confront and understand the lies that inform society. As Jonas comes to grips with living an unsheltered existence, he begins to acquire a taste for freedom and honesty, becoming an outcast in the process."

Meryl Streep is taking on the role of the community's Chief Elder, who maintains order in the seemingly utopian society. Alexander Skarsgard is playing Jonas' father, and Cameron Monaghan will play Jonas' best friend, Asher.

The movie is being directed by Phillip Noyce, and he had this to say in an interview with EW:

“The past is considered to be potentially polluting. This is a world where complications are eliminated. Jonas himself goes on a journey as he finds out what’s missing. He starts to investigate what’s causing it. And that’s the beauty. That’s what makes the book so popular, it’s an investigation in ways of living.”

The movie will be released on August 15th, 2014, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. It definitely has the potential to be a great film.

Marvel has announced that the release of Edgar Wright's Ant-Man will be moved up from July 31st, 2015 to July 17th, 2015, moving into the spot where Zack Snyder's Batman Vs. Superman used to be. It might only be two weeks earlier, but that's two weeks that we don't have to wait to see it.

The casting for the film has been pretty incredible so far with Paul Rudd paying Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Michael Douglas taking on the role of Hank Pym. There are also rumors that say Clifton Collins Jr. and Michael Pena are in talks to join the film production as well. 

Marvel starts production on the highly-anticipated superhero film later this year!

Ben Kingsley has been added to the cast of Shawn Levy's Night at the Museum 3, which also includes Rebel Wilson, Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Ricky Gervais. The news comes from Deadline, which reveals that Kingsley will play "a formidable Egyptian pharaoh on display in the British museum, and he is revived by a magical tablet."

This franchise keeps pulling in the big money, which is why we are getting another sequel. It's set to be released Christmas of 2014, and there's no doubt that families will flock to the theaters to watch it. 

Kingsley is such a talented actor, and he likes to take on fun, silly roles like this from time to time. I'm sure he'll be great in the movie, after all, he's great in everything that he does. 

Writer & Director: Michael Winterbottom

Starring: Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan

Synopsis: Two men, six meals in six different places on a road trip around Italy. Liguria, Tuscany, Rome, Amalfi and ending in Capri.

Stanley Kubrick was a hell of a crazy director. The guy made some incredible films in his career, and a lot of the directing choices that he made managed to blow audiences' minds. All of his films are meticulously directed, and there is never anything on the screen of his movies that he doesn't want you to see. For those of you who are fans of the director, here's a fantastic video created by YouTuber renegadecut that points out the ten most insane directing decisions he made throughout his career. 

Marvel has announced that the character Deathlok is coming to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This is the first time the character will brought to life in a live-action project. J. August Richards, who appeared in the pilot and subsequent episodes as Mike Peterson, will now become Deathlok, and these are the details that they give us,

"Transformed into the cybernetic solider against his will, Mike Peterson (Richards) must struggle to find the man in the machine. With a high-tech eye that allows him to see through walls, super strength and increased speed courtesy of a cybernetic leg, will Deathlok fight alongside the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or against them?"

 Executive Producer Jeffrey Bell had this to say in a statement,

"We have been waiting all season for this moment where we can reveal that Mike Peterson's story arc is an origin story. We're thrilled to have J. August Richards playing Deathlok and to have our audience enjoy this favorite Marvel character on the show."

Richards added,

"If you would have asked when I was nine-years old what I wanted to be, I would have said a super hero and I'm so excited to be one now as an adult on TV! It's a dream come true."

Marvel and ABC are sure doing everything they can to keep audiences hooked on the show, and I'm going to keep watching! 

Here's something simple that you could wear around to the geek conventions if you're feeling lazy and/or don't have what it takes to put together a real C-3PO costume. This is a Hooded Union Suit that is available on Amazon for $70. 

Art by SelWorks

If you’ve paid attention to the words Kevin Smith has used to describe the Batsuit that director Zack Snyder showed him, you probably have some sense of the general color scheme Ben Affleck will be wearing as the Caped Crusader in Batman Vs. Superman. Smith called the version he saw Affleck modeling “a very familiar Batman,” but that it “didn’t look like any of the cinematic Batmans that have ever gone before.” He also added that it’s “the suit you all wanted to see.” Reading between the lines, you can guess that this is either a grey/black or grey/blue suit that we’ve grown up seeing in the comics, but never on the big screen.

Our friends at Latino-Review have a possible description of not one, but TWO suits that Affleck will wear in the film. Marvelous Dave had this to say earlier this week:

“The more interesting thing I’ve heard is that Batman will actually wear 2 batsuits in the film, but where as Grey-and-Blue has already been designed and Affleck has worn it, the second Batsuit is more armored like the one in the Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come comics.”

As stated above, the primary suit will likely be (barring some last minute change) grey-and-blue. As far as the armor goes, El Mayimbe revealed more details on that suit yesterday. He prefaces the info by saying “because of the ultra secretive nature surrounding the movie, it’s insanely difficult to confirm the following so take with a grain of salt.” You’ve been warned, so take the info as it is.

“According to the source, the plating is silver/white. The plates are attached to a black undercloth. The plates doesn’t cover his entire body. We see the black undercloth at the joints. Supposedly, it looks incredible. Equally, or maybe even better-looking than the other suit and it’s leagues above and beyond Bale’s suit from what I’m told.”

Again, this is early info so the suit/suits are subject to change. With the rumor being that Warner Bros. pushed the release date of the film back to 2016 in order to shoot the film back to back with Justice League, it’s a definite possibility that the suits could go through changes to better fit with other characters that will be introduced in both films.

We've got another fantastic animated short film for you to check out today called Transmission. The story takes place in a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland, and it centers on creature and his dog as they find a radio that may lead them to new life.

The short was directed by Jared D. Weiss, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters that he created and the atmosphere and tone of the film. The soundtrack really adds to that. Check it out for yourself. I hope you like it!

Art by Dadmad

Megan Ellison's production company Annapurna Pictures is no longer attached to fund Terminator: Genesis, but don't worry! The movie is still moving forward with Paramount Pictures and and Skydance, which is the production company run by Ellison's brother David. 

Annapurna is the whole reason what we are going to see another two or three Terminator films in the first place. Ellison will retain executive producer status. After all, she paid $20 million to take over control of the rights to the sci-fi franchise. 

Over the years the production company has produced films such as American Hustle, Zero Dark Thirty, The Master, and a few other films, including the upcoming Steve Carrell drama thriller Foxcatcher. The Terminator franchise doesn't really seem to fit in with the smaller films that she is currently producing. Megan Ellison had this to say in a statement,

“We have been working closely with the filmmakers and have the utmost faith in their abilities. We love this project and the direction it is going in, but for now Annapurna’s primary focus is to produce independent films. As I am staying on as executive producer, I am looking forward to working closely with David and Paramount to make a film that will live up to the brands’ legacy and one that I know audiences will love.”

Skydance, on the other hand, has developed Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, and World War Z. That sounds more like a production company where Terminator belongs. David Ellison had this to say,

“Skydance Productions focuses on elevated event-level film making and the relaunch of this iconic franchise is a perfect match for our company. I am very confident in our top-notch creative team and the material driving this project. I’m grateful to Megan, who will remain involved as an executive producer, and for initially bringing the Terminator franchise to us. I look forward to our continued creative partnership as we prep for production in April.”

The movie is still moving forward. Alan Taylor is directing, and so far it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Game Of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke playing Sarah Connor, and Zero Dark Thirty‘s Jason Clarke playing John Connor. The hunt is still on for Kyle Reese.

Via: Deadline

I recently came across a fun series of art created by Patty McPancakes featuring some breakdancing stormtroopers. The artist says she was inspired to do these after she saw the video directly below featuring a group of Stormtroopers dancing and twerking in an alley. You'll find more art under the video. 

You would think at some point we would stop being stunned at Japanese culture, and yet, here we are. Apparently Attack On Titan has is popular enough to sell a Subaru! Let me reiterate, a show that has naked giants who eat people and zero vehicles in it is being used to sell a car. Whatever it takes to sell cars, I guess! I just think it's cool to see AOT in live action. 

Bioshock Infinite: Siege of Columbia evokes comparisons to Risk, if Risk were quicker to play and had random time altering hiccups thrown in along the way. Not to say that I don't love Risk, but those familiar with it know a normal game can take quite awhile to complete, and SOC trims off some of the excess. It's a fun ride, even without previous experience with Bioshock Infinite proper.

The game puts 2 to 4 players in control of the two main factions, The Vox Populi and The Founders, with Booker and Elizabeth acting as a meddlesome third party throughout. Both factions are vying for control of the city in the clouds, and to lay claim to Columbia you will have to manage your diverse army while trying not to spread yourself too thin. Thanks to the skyway mechanic, that is something not easily avoided, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Like most boardgames, you start out by drawing a set number of cards, which in this case consist of units and tonics (the potions that give you your various powers). You also draw from one of 5 commanders, each one with a separate ability. As Jaydot has mentioned on the show, if you didn’t agree with the racial themes that Bioshock Infinite deals with, then it might be a bit hard to play as The Founders, or play the game at all, but if you just approach it as a game with red and blue factions, you can have a great deal of fun with it. Not trying to bring everyone down, but since there have been very heavy reactions to the game's racial overtones, I thought it was worth mentioning.

Once your cards are picked and your units placed, it's on to learning the board. The board is setup into 6 territories, each one with a set number of smaller areas that need to be taken over to conquer the entire territory. Much like Risk, once you have a territory under your control you get an additional number of units to place on your turn.

As for the units themselves, there are several different types to pick from, featuring popular characters from the game like the handyman, boys of silence, etc. I won’t bog you down with specifics here, but if you want an idea you can grab the rules and setup pdf. In addition to units, you can invest in things like turrets and alarms that help you defend an area. Of course the big boys –The Songbird and The Blimp – are present as well and have special abilities in addition to their high movement and attack value.

All units, regardless of type, can move along the skyway, which comes with its own challenges and is one of the more unique things about the game. You can move as many spaces on the skyway as you want, but each time you move you must roll a set number of dice, and if you don’t clear them, then that unit is lost completely, and you can only move one unit at a time. Once you get the hang of things, battles go much faster than in Risk or other games of its ilk, and since the territories and armies are limited, a game can be completed in just a few hours, something that is unheard of in other games.

Combat remains entertaining throughout, and you always have an incentive to attack and keep the pace up, as even if you don’t win a battle you might still be able to qualify for an upgrade or a key. These are used to level up the abilities of your units and unlock their secondary abilities, which open up huge advantages in combat. There is a voting system in the game as well, which takes place on every turn. Both factions vote on a bill, which can affect gameplay in a variety of ways. This is an interesting mechanic, but to me, it never quite reaches its full potential, as by the end of the game Daniel (my buddy who has the distinguished honor of being the one who has to play games with me when its time for review) and I were just either letting them pass or ignoring them completely. It doesn’t really hurt the game in any way, but it didn’t add anything to it either. Aside from that minor nitpick, the game is fantastic fun, and I would definitely recommend Siege of Columbia to anyone who likes strategy and army management in any way, and for fans of Bioshock Infinite in particular, it's a no-brainer.

If you like what you see, then head over to Plaid Hat Games to grab yourself a copy from their online store. 

Art by JPRart

Update! 

Director Josh Trank has said the synopsis is false and that it's not true.

"that synopsis is definitely not the synopsis or anything close to the synopsis. i don’t know who put that out. byyee."

You can still read it if you want!

A new plot synopsis for the Josh Trank-directed reboot of Fantastic Four has been leaked thanks to a casting call. I'm not sure how happy fans are going to be with it though, as it looks like they changed the origin story of the classic superhero team. If you are looking for another reason to rant about the upcoming reboot, then this should give you some fuel.

“The Fantastic Four’ will tell the story of two very young friends, Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. After an event transforms the boys, they find themselves empowered with bizarre new abilities. Reed becomes a scientific genius who can stretch, twist and re-shape his body to inhuman proportions. Ben becomes a monstrous, craggy humanoid with orange, rock-like skin and super strength. However, the two end up being owned by the government and used as weapons. But after they mature, two others with powers come into the picture – Sue Storm “The Invisible Girl” and Johnny Storm “The Human Torch.”

This is very different from any origin story I've ever seen for the Fantastic Four. There's a chance that this may not be what we see in the final product, but it will be really interesting if it is. I definitely wasn't expecting to see this from the movie. That could be a good thing, or it could be bad. I guess we'll just have to see how it turns out.

As far as the casting and where it currently stands, Michael B. Jordan will be playing Johnny Storm. Miles Teller, Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington, and Richard Madden are up for Reed Richards. Kate Mara and Saoirse Ronan are in the running for Sue Storm.

Apparently, production of the film is supposed to start in a few weeks, so we can expect some official casting announcements in the near future. 

The movie is scheduled to be released June 19th, 2015.

AMC has released a new featurette for the return of The Walking Dead. The video dives into what we can expect to see in the second part of the fourth season. It includes footage from the show along with interviews with the cast and crew discussing various elements like how they get everyone back together, how they stay safe, and where they find shelter. It also gives us a look at what might be in store for some of the lead characters. 

The next episode of the series is called "After," and it airs on Sunday February 9th, 2014. Here's a brief description of it thanks to SpoilerTV,

“As Rick deals with old wounds, members of the prison have to come to terms with their new environment and ask themselves if survival alone is enough.”

I'm excited for the return of the series, and I seriously doubt that things are going to end on a good note for the group. Do they ever end on a good note? 

It was only a matter of time before Spike Jonze's Her was going to be parodied. Expect this hilarious imagining to be the first of many actors if they were the computer in the film. By the way, this isn't really Seth Rogen doing the voice if you haven't figured that out.

Mondo teamed up with Warner Bros. to create the above poster for an upcoming fan event for 300: Rise of An Empire. The announcement came from one of the film's stars Lena Headey, who said that there is going to be a special preview day for the film where the studio is going to show off 13-minutes of footage from the sequel. Those attend those screening will receive a print of the poster. Here's the official statement,

"Hello, my friends, Lena Headey here. I was thrilled to return to the role of Queen Gorgo in 300: Rise of an Empire, and I'm excited to announce this incredible opportunity for you to catch 13 minutes of never-before-seen footage from the upcoming film, followed by a special fan screening of the original 300 movie. We'll also be giving away the exclusive Mondo poster shown below to everyone who attends the 300 fan event. Stay tuned for more info on specific locations, timing and how to score tickets to join the battle."

The movie will be released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX on March 7th, 2014, and it looks awesome! I've also included a TV spot for you to check out.