FOX has released a great new promo trailer for the next episode of The Simpsons that parodies the vague promo trailer style for AMC's Mad Men. I love it when the team behind The Simpsons parodies other shows and movies like this. 

The episode is called Days of Future Future and it's a sequel to season 23's Holidays of Future Passed. The story is set 30 years in the future in 2044, "Jenda (Amy Poehler) is dating a crab-like alien creature and she's still not getting along with Bart, who is trying to get over his divorce and does it in a Total Recall-type way. Homer has a new clone for every time he dies. Lisa is married to a zombie version of Milhouse, while Bart deals with custody issues with his ex-wife, Jenda."

We have a collection of Chris Stevens art full of commissions from both Marvel and DC. The art features Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, The Rocketeer, Hellboy, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Green Arrow, Thor, Lobo, Maxx, TMNT's Raphael, Optimus Prime, Deadpool, Thanos, Supergirl, Thing, Venom, and many more.

Stevens' renderings of these comic characters uses distinctive silhouettes and very little color. His shading really shapes out the body forms, giving weight and presence to each character. While Stevens stays pretty true to the classic comic designs, he adds enough of this own style that it's easy to recognize his work. View Chris Stevens' full portfolio of art here.

Click Thumbnails to view larger.

This week we are terrified that all of our personal information is comprised forever, so take your mind off things by buying cool stuff. Then change all your passwords.

Kate Beaton Wonder Woman Print
We think Kate Beaton is a genius, and her take on Wonder Woman is one of our favorites. It must be really hard being an Amazonian warrior princess in the modern world. Click Buy this Print! to buy this print. [Hark! A Vagrant]

Minecraft Diamond Ore
Some of us are still afraid of the dark, which is definitely nothing to be ashamed of at our age, ok? And while we aren’t embarrassed, we also maybe don’t want to have one of those plug-in night lights they put in babies’ rooms. So buy this one, and you only have to pretend to be obsessed with Minecraft, which is also definitely nothing to be ashamed of at our age. [ThinkGeek]

Marvel Retro Comic Wallet
We like to keep a little geek in everything we do, but it isn’t always appropriate to wear our Captain America costume. Let your geek flag fly in a subtle way with this wallet. Dark brown faux leather on the outside, retro comics printed on the inside. [Amazon]

Tetris Magnet Set
Without the anxiety producing timing issue, Tetris could actually be a soothing activity. See how many ways you can put this set of Tetris-inspired magnets together on your fridge. [Etsy]

Game of Thrones Coloring Book
This is just awesome. We can’t wait to bring this with us to the next midnight screening. Way more interesting than those three movie trivia slides the theater keeps shuffling through. [Etsy]

Surprise! Surprise! Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment are planning to adapt the final book in Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy into two films. So instead of three films audiences will be getting four. When adapting these young adult novel series into films the studios love to split that last book up. If it's a money thing, why don't they split every book up into two films, or they can follow the example of Peter Jackson and turn one book into a full on trilogy?! 

The first film starred Shailene Woodley as a dystopian sci-fi heroine named Tris. She finds herself a target as one of few in her futuristic society who defy categorization into one of five personality-based factions. It made over $139 million world wide in the first three weeks of its release so it did well enough for the studio to want to drag it out as long as they can. 

I thought Divergent was an okay film, and I'm sure the sequels won't be any better or any worse. The sequel for the film is Insurgent, and it will be released on March 20th, 2015. The final two films Allegiant Part 1 will be released on March 18th, 2017 and Part 2 will be released on March 24th, 2017.

Deadline

The recent announcement of Borderlands: The Pre Sequel reminded me of this fantastic cosplay of Salvador, the dual-wielding gunzerker from Borderlands 2. The stellar cosplay was created by one of my favorite cosplayers, It's Raining Neon, and you can catch more photos from the shoot down below. The shots themselves are superb, capturing the style of Borderlands perfectly, and are a result of the expert photography skills of Cozpho Photography. You can find more of Neon’s work on Deviant Art, and you can catch Cozpho’s other photography on their facebook page. If you like what you see, make sure to leave them a comment or two.

Typically, I'm a sucker for Buzzfeed quizzes and enjoy them quite a bit. I was delighted to find out my personality matched the Joker in the "Which Batman Character Are You" quiz. I was stoked when I got Harry Potter in his "Which Character" quiz. I was even proud enough to post when I got Tina Fey in the "What Actress Would Play You In A Movie?" because I think she could legitimately genderbend me. So of course when I saw the quiz "What Level Geek Are You?" you know I was down to clown because who doesn't want affirmation of something they already know?

99 out of 300. Guess what? I have the makings of a geek, but I'm not quite there. I'm not quite there? I'M NOT QUITE THERE?! In my lifetime I cannot recall a day past age 5 when I haven't played a video game. I have a life size replica Dragon Ball sitting atop my mantle, proudly on display. My Netflix queue is almost exclusively Marvel cartoons, and MY WARDROBE OF T-SHIRTS ARE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY DC! But I'm not a geek because I haven't professionally LARP'd?

Am I overreacting? Yeah, I'm more than a little aware, but I thought we evolved past the stigma of what a "geek" is in 2014. I didn't know seeing Avengers more than once in theaters equated to being a Brony, nor did I know that knowing that reading the Days of Future Past series also meant I'm a chemist. Who the hell is coming up with this asinine set of 300 questions that all involve a combination of things that no one could possibly juggle?!

It gave me the realization that geeks have evolved into something well beyond the current umbrella we share. Table-top gamers may have no interest in Firefly, and the Browncoats could not give a flip less about Manga readers. PC gamers may log 100s of hours in DOTA and never watch an actual episode of the original Star Trek, and that's completely fine. It doesn't make you more or less of geek to have your hands in multiple cookie jars of fandom, and it's that kind of pissing contest of "who's more popular" that drove many people into the less mainstream interests we share today. 

I think the questions that get me the most are the programming, chemistry, and "having a Ph.D." Don't get me wrong, there is crossover between the worlds, as our programmer on the site has many interests within the culture. Even so, I know a lot of geeks who don't work in the science field, who didn't lean CSS in school, and are only called "doctor" ironically. Is it possible that this is a blending of the term "nerd" and "geek"? How is it this is still happening when Milhouse Van Houten was able to make the distinction quite clear many years ago.

Out of the 300 questions on "What Level Geek Are Youl?" almost 20 ask the equivalent of "do you own this?" It's ridiculous, albeit sometimes true, to think that we as a community are guilty of using materialism to flaunt our geek tendencies. Sure, I would love to adorn my wall with the Sword of Omens so that I could fake achieve sight beyond sight (BTW, no '80s cartoon trivia, BuzzFeed?!), but life gets in the way. So while this quiz was flawed, it was also a bit eye-opening to some truths and biases that I as a geek hold against others. For that, I thank you, Buzzfeed, but that isn't an excuse for a whack quiz that has some gaping holes in geek culture. Also I'm sure you're aware of most of this because I stalked you on Twitter and found your score. 

I got 184 out of 300, which seems ludicrous. What's Your Geek Number? http://t.co/25tl3oLyq5 via @buzzfeed

— Tanner Ringerud (@AwesomeRingerud) April 10, 2014

Godzilla has a new poster that's high contrast and has kind of a punk rock vibe. It reminds me of Rancid's "…and Out Come the Wolves" cover.

Before starting GeekTyrant I was a graphic designer for punk rock label Hell-Cat Records. I designed everything from band t-shirts, album art, posters, stickers, ads, and I even designed Rancid's old website. Some of that punk rock vibe I picked up still influences GeekTyrant's current design.

Something I really love about the high contrast look is how it sharpens detail and makes everything flat and graphical. I really hope to see more Godzilla posters in this style. 

Godzilla destroys cities and your mind May 16th (USA). Source: SHH.

We know that the whole Marvel cinematic universe is connected in some way, so it should come as no surprise that Guardians of the Galaxy will be connected to other films in the universe. Director James Gunn has confirmed that his film will in fact be connected to Avengers 3. 

Marvel has a plan in place with the intergalactic villain Thanos, who appeared at the end of The Avengers. He will also appear again in Guardians of the Galaxy, and Marvel has been carefully placing Infinity Gems across the films they've been releasing. It's all leading up to something big! In a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly Gunn says,

"[Guardians of the Galaxy] is definitely connected to Avengers 3."

The director also added that the performance of Thanos would be done with motion capture and then referred to him as the “head of the snake.” He then went on to talk about the origins of Star-Lord and Gamora/Nebula:

"[Star Lord] was abducted from Earth (Missouri) at age 8 and raised in a group of thieves and smuggles called the Ravagers. He’s good with the ladies and a little bit of a dick and very lucky. Thanos slaughtered [Gamora's] family and Nebula’s, then raised them together as siblings. They were bio engineered to become living weapons, so he’s really good at killing people."

Ever since Ultron was named as the main villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron, fans have been speculating that Thanos would end up being the main villain in Avengers 3. It's going to happen eventually, and when it does it will be an Avengers movies, so why not make it part 3!? It will be interesting to see if we get a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy before the third Avengers film. If that happens I think there might be a good chance that characters from both films will team up to take on Thanos. Marvel is currently developing a sequel to Guardians, so that could actually happen. 

Via: CBM

Fan art by nebezial

Sony’s Masters of the Universe remake is getting a rewrite. Jeff Wadlow, writer and director of Kick-Ass 2, has been brought on board to do a rewrite on the script based on the ‘80s animated series, which was awesome. Kick-Ass 2 was not so awesome, so I’m not sure how to take this news.  

I used to watch the Dolph Lundgren Masters of the Universe every year on Christmas Eve, but it’s been so long that all I remember is Skeletor falling at the end of the final battle. (I guess that was a spoiler. Sorry.) The animated series is more engrained in my memory, and I spent a lot of time playing He-Man and She-Ra when I was a kid. In other words, don’t eff up my childhood memories, Wadlow.

The most recent draft of the script was written by Terry Rossio, who wrote the script for The Lone Ranger. Oy. My hopes aren’t high for this one. No director is attached to the project yet, so maybe they’ll get someone who has the power to make a kickass movie.  Via: Variety

Reddit user Hitokirivader created a collage of most (but not all) of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman's live-action costumes.

Hitokirivader added:
I made tributes to the Supermen and Batmen, so it only felt fitting to include all 73 years of Wonder Women too

A few things come to mind, wow what a crazy imbalance, why is Wonder Woman not spelled Wonderwoman, Gal Gadot looks like she's got the same build as Lynda Carter, I don't miss Superman's underwear on the outside look, and none of the movie Batmen can turn their heads.

It seems like it's been awhile since I've seen one of those inspirational sports movies that is based on a true story. I've always been a fan of them, and there's a new one coming out called When The Game Stands Tall. It's based on the the longest winning streak in sports history, and what happened when it ended. We have a trailer for the film to share with you today, and it looks like a really good movie! 

Northern California's De La Salle High School's football team went 12 years and 151 games without losing a game. The story revolves around on the lives of the football players, coaches, and their families after the streak ended.

The movie was directed by Thomas Carter (Coach Carter), and it has a solid ensemble cast that features Jim Caviezel, Laura Dern, Michael Chiklis, and Alexander Ludwig. Sony Pictures will release the movie on August 22nd. 

Apparently, last summer there was talk about Penelope Cruz taking a role in Sam Mendes’ follow up to Skyfall. This week in things we hope are true, a French magazine has found proof(?) that the actress will be in the movie. Sony put her name alongside Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, and Naomie Harris on a release update that included Bond 24. It’s possible that it was an administrative error, but if it wasn’t, how mother-effing great is that news?

Given the franchise’s grittier, more character-driven take since Casino Royale and its ability to attract a well-respected director like Mendes, it’s no surprise that they are finding higher caliber actresses willing to play Bond girls. And no offense, Denise Richards, but Academy Award winner Cruz is a major upgrade. She has done her best work in smaller films, working with directors like Ridley Scott, Woody Allen, and her old friend Pedro Almodovar. But she did do that Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, so she’s willing to outlandish and over the top. I really hope this report is true. I have great affection for Craig’s Bond, but he hasn’t had a great Bond girl since Eva Green’s Vesper. Cruz could set a new high-water mark for the franchise.

Chiwetel Ejiofer is supposedly the villain this time around, taking the mantle from Cruz’s husband, Javier Bardem. He isn’t mentioned on the update, but except for the returning cast, nothing much seems settled. Bond 24 is set to be released on November 6, 2015.

Source: Premiere Magazine via Empire

To me, spectacular cosplay is a mix of great costuming, professional photography, and good modeling. This Jack Frost cosplay and photography by Tim Fowl really elevates the art of cosplay. Also, final note, if you haven't seen Rise of the Guardians please do, I think it's worthy of being called a classic.

Kick-Ass star Chloe Moretz has been cast in the lead role of Sony Pictures' big screen adaptation of Rick Yancey's young adult sci-fi novel, The 5th Wave.

The movie is set to be directed by J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), and the script was written by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich).

Moretz will play a character named Cassie Sullivan, "who survives four waves of deadly attacks against the Earth's population. On the run to save her younger brother, 16-year-old Cassie meets a mysterious young man who may become her final hope."

It sounds like it could be a pretty cool sci-fi film. It will be produced by GK Films' Graham King and Tobey Maguire.

Moretz is a crazy talented young actress, and I've enjoyed everything she's done. She also stars in the upcoming thriller The Equalizer alongside Denzel Washington. This new film should be a great project for her. 

Here's a more detailed description from the book:

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

The Wrap

Before Halo's Master Chief there was Metroid's Samus. Gamers didn't realize in 1986 that Samus was a girl until the end of the game when she took off her helmet. Since then she's been portrayed in a number of different ways. This fan tribute by Jonathan, aka Wen-JR, is the coolest Metroid art I've seen in a long while. It really has a cinematic quality to it, which makes me wonder how long it will take until we see a Metroid movie. Since the board game Battleship was made into a movie, anything is now possible.

This is kind of weird, you guys, but Baz Luhrmann is in talks to direct a big screen adaptation of the ’70s martial arts western TV show Kung Fu for Legendary Pictures. Apparently the production company is eager to amp up their Chinese street cred, so they’re looking to move forward with this and are also in talks with with Zhang Yimou to revive The Great Wall. If they can make a deal, Luhrmann will do a rewrite of the script by Rich Wilkes (XXX).

Kung Fu was about “the adventures of a Shaolin Monk as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in Kung Fu.” It starred David Carradine and popularized the nickname “young grasshopper,” which is what his mentor called him. This adaptation moves the action to 19th Century China, which makes it less of a Western, I suppose. In this new iteration the main character, Kwai Chang Caine, will be searching for his father. Apparently he will end up in prison and have to fight to survive. So that’s exciting.

I cannot imagine what this film will look like if Luhrmann signs on. I’m still pretty bitter about his interpretation of The Great Gatsby (I am convinced he never read the book), so maybe I can’t be objective right now. I have enjoyed his other films, though. If he took a little of the feel of his Romeo and Juliet, transferred it to 19th century China, and added in some really great Kung Fu fighting (with kicks as fast as lightning), it might be something. All right, I’ve talked myself into it. This could be spectacular. It will at least be a spectacle.

Source: THR

This uncredited sculpture, photographed by Cihan Ünalan, depicts an infant Kal-El on Krypton moments before leaving his parents Jor-El and Lara-El. The styling as far as I can tell is 1940s era Superman.

One day I'd really love to see a Superman movie set around the time period that he was created, or maybe even in the Mad Men era of the late '50s and early '60s.

FOX has released an awesome new promo for 24: Live Another Day. It's cut together like a movie trailer, and it's sure to get fans even more excited for the return of Jack Bauer. The trailer gives us a broader view of what this new series event will give us. It features a lot of new footage and reveals a few new plot points. This seriously looks like it could be one of Jack's most intense adventures yet. The 12-epiosde series premieres on May 5th!

Steven Spielberg is one of my favorite directors of all time. He made some of my favorite films as a kid, and he continues to make incredible movies that entertains audiences around the world. I grew up on his films, and it's really interesting to see how his style has evolved over the years. One thing that has always been constant though is a magical element that all of his movies have. Legendary Chicago critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert did a special episode in 1994 in which they talk about the magic of Spielberg and his work. If you're a fan of the director or movies in general, then this is a must watch. Thanks to The Playlist for the heads up.

Marvel has released some high resolution photos from Guardians of the Galaxy. We posted low resolution versions of most of these photos yesterday, but the one above giving us a close up of Chris Pratt sporting his Star-Lord look is new. This movie looks like it's going to be so cool. One of the things I'm most excited about for it is the fact that expands the Marvel universe into… well, the universe. Director James Gunn also recently revealed that the movie serves as a connection to Avengers 3, so it will be fun to see how that all plays out. The movie hits theaters on August 1st!