Universal Pictures has released a high resolution photo from Jon Chu’s live-action big screen adaptation of the 1980s cartoon series Jem and the Holograms. They also have provided the first official plot synopsis for the movie, which gives us a little insight into the story Chu is going to give fans.

As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. In Universal Pictures’ JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS, four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice.

The movie stars Aubrey Peeples as Jem, Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja, Aurora Perrineau as Shan, and Juliette Lewis and Molly Ringwald in unspecified roles. Jem and the Holograms is set to be released on October 23rd, 2015.

Artist Grezegorz Domardzki whipped up this great tribute poster for the classic Sylvester Stallone Rambo film, First Blood. I remember the first time I watched this 1982 movie. I had never really seen anything like it before, and I remember just being engulfed by the story and the action. I don’t remember how old I was when I first saw this movie, but I do remember being impacted by it. It's been a long time since I've seen it. I should probably watch it again soon. This is what the artist said about his piece:

“I love working on titles that had an impact on me back when I was growing up. First Blood (and Rambo character in general) are definitely among them. I still remember how this great piece of cinema moved me back when I saw it for the first time.

“No doubt it was and remains one of the saddest movies from the 80’s. Both me and GMA guys wanted to capture some of that sadness on this image while at the same time keeping it very iconic… almost monumental.

“Personally I’m very happy with the outcome. Consider this my final take on one of my biggest 'old time heroes': Sylvester Stallone. Hope I gave you justice John J..."

If you’ve been wondering how Daredevil will tie into the rest of the Marvel cinematic universe, we’ve got some information that you might want to check out, along with a new motion poster. In a recent interview with Empire, Marvel Television’s Emma Fletcher, explained a little bit about how the series will tie in with everything else. She also offers a timeline of when Daredevil is set in the current storyline that is playing out in the MCU.

"We are still part of the Marvel Universe, but we are not explicitly in that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. world. We're in our own corner. So the aliens came down and ruined the city, and this is the story of Hell's Kitchen's rebuild." 

The report also mentions seeing a framed newspaper in the office of the New York Bulletin in the series, and that paper shows Stark Tower “being zapped by a Chitauri laser beam.” 

Daredevil is set to be released on Netflix before Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters, but if the series gets another season, I'm sure the characters in it will be dealing with the effects of what that movie causes as well. When asked if there would possibly be a second season, showrunner Steven S. DeKnight said,

"We certainly hope so! I mean, it's totally up to Netflix. But I think it's a phenomenal season and we certainly end in up a place where we could tell many other stories." 

I hope they are going to be able to continue these stories. I think it would even be awesome if one day Daredevil found itself back on the big screen! I guess it all depends on what the fan reaction is when the series is released. 

The star of the series, Charlie Cox, also talked to Empire and said that fans should be on the lookout for "a couple of very casual Easter egg references to other superheroes." The magazine then asked him if there’s a possibility that he could appear in Captain America: Civil War. He told them that he wouldn't turn down the offer if it happened, but cautioned that "in this show, Daredevil feels special, like a big thing, not an everyday occurance. It's not like he's one of that lot..."  

I don’t think we’ll see Daredevil in Civil War, but I do think that eventually he should start making appearances in future films of the MCU. What do you think about that?

Via: CBM

It's about time someone decided to make a Middle Earth theme park! Harry Potter fans have theme park attractions at Universal, DC Comics fans have the Six Flags theme parks, and Marvel and Star Wars fans can find the things they love at Disney theme parks. It's Middle Earth's turn to get a little theme park love. I'm surprised that something like this didn't happen years ago.

The news broke at Euro Weekly News (via The One Ring), and according to the report, the attraction will be coming to Rincon de la Victoria, Spain. The theme park will be called “La Comarca,” which basically translates to "The Shire." 

The site reports that eight hectares and €1.7 million are being allocated for the park. That’s about 20 acres at the cost of $2 million. It won't be a very big park, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun. The mayor of the town, Francisco Salado, said in a statement,

"The Shire will become one of the major tourism attractions of our town. The material will have a very low environmental impact, to create an integrated image in nature. It will be a place in which family leisure, sports and nature will go hand-in-hand in a unique space of great beauty set in a time of fairy tales and the magic of the elves. Without a doubt, Rincon de la Victoria will have a top-rated tourist attraction, which will also add to the variety of attractions of Malaga."

Sounds like it could be a fun experience, but even as big as a fan of I am of The Lord of the Rings and the rest of the books and movies, I don't think I would go all the way to Spain to visit it. It basically will be just The Shire with no roller coaster attractions, but the park will be divided into different areas and include “climbing walls, hobbit homes, swings and slides.”

It's definitely a cool attraction for anyone who lives near it. Hopefully this paves the way for someone to build lager scale Middle Earth theme park in the future.

Damn! The season finale of Star Wars Rrebles looks so amazing! Just wait until you watch this intense new trailer that asks the question… “Who will fall?” We know that Darth Vader will be making an appearance, and as cool as that is, there’s so much more going on to get excited about. If you’re not watching this series yet, you need to start. I promise you that you’ll get hooked. The final episode of the season episode is called “Fire Across the Galaxy,” and I also included some images for you to check out as well. Now watch this trailer!

There's a Dragon Ball Z project that has been in development called "Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope." It was created by obotUnderdog2, and it's a Machinima production. This short film is basically a pilot episode for a web-series that they hope to launch, and it is freakin' awesome! Seriously, I was blown away by the badassery of this thing, and I think fans of the franchise are going to completely geek out over what they see! It's way better than the crappy movie that was released back in 2009. These guys put a lot of work into this pilot, and I hope that it isn't the last thing we see of it. I seriously got chills watching the main fight sequence in this thing. Here's the synopsis:

Hope is worth fighting for. In Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope, Gohan and Trunks fight against the unstoppable Androids #17 and #18 and try to save as many human lives as possible. The young Trunks must grow up quickly and learn from his mentor, Gohan; but with battles to fight on both the outside and inside, how long can they endure, and where will they find a light of hope? Subscribe, support and share if you want to see more episodes!

This series is an adaptation of “The History of Trunks” TV Special. In this timeline, Goku and the other Z Warriors are dead. This is the story of Gohan and Trunks in their battle to survive against the Androids.

This is what the filmmakers are hoping to accomplish with the series:

"Our goal is to bring the Dragon Ball world to life in a way that's never been done before, while staying true to the characters and story. We want to use this episode as leverage to make more episodes for this web series and other projects. So please help us out by sharing, commenting and liking! The more support we have, the more likely we are to do more Dragon Ball Z. We want to keep making DBZ content, and that’s only possible with your help!"

I'm going to watch the short again now. Check it out for yourself below! 

Art by Tyler Stout

The live action Akira remake that has been in the works for years is an intriguing project. I’m kind of shocked that it hasn’t actually happened yet. If it ever did happen, of course, I’d be curious to see it. If it continues to not happen, I’m not going to complain. I can always watch the anime film whenever I want. 

/Film recently did an extensive interview with screenwriter Gary Whitta, who worked on films such as Book of Eli, After Earth, and the standalone Star Wars film being directed by Gareth Edwards. He also worked on writing the Americanized version of Akira, and in the interview he talked about his approach to writing the film, especially entering a territory that leaves him open to being criticized by the fans. Here’s what he said:

“Well I went into it because I was – and remain – such a fan of both the original manga and the anime. I would not have taken the job on if I didn’t think there was a way to handle the original material respectfully and to do it some kind of justice. I personally reject the argument that AKIRA is necessarily a Japanese story and that it’s somehow sacrilegious to set a new adaptation of it anywhere else. I think many of the themes in that story are ones that speak to the human condition and are therefore relevant anywhere in the world – if that weren’t true the original versions would never have been a hit outside of Japan. Having said that, both myself and the director at the time, Ruairi Robinson, approached our version with a lot of appreciation for the story’s cultural origins and we wanted to be respectful of that. The one thing that had been communicated to us from Katsuhiro Otomo (we never spoke with him directly) was basically to not be afraid to change things, that he wanted to see an original and different interpretation, not just a straight-up remake.”

He went on to talk about the idea and setting of his version of the film, saying,

“I think we hit upon an idea that would have allowed the story to play to global audiences while staying faithful to its Japanese roots. The idea was basically that in the future Japan had been forced to deal with an economic and population boom by essentially purchasing an abandoned Manhattan island in a massive land deal from the American government, which itself had been driven close to economic ruin by the destruction of the city of Manhattan in the original Akira incident. So what had once been Manhattan became Japanese sovereign territory as New Tokyo, with ten million Japanese living there; it just happened to be located on the east coast of the United States. I thought it was an interesting way to fuse eastern and western cultures in the movie, and allow a mix of actors from both, rather than just “white-washing” the film, which is what I think a lot of people were anticipating. Having said that the project has gone through several writers and directors since Ruairi and I left and I have no idea what approach they’re taking now, or if it’s even still in active development.”

The last thing we heard about the development of this movie was last year when Edge of Tomorrow screenwriter Dante Harper was hired to write the script. Orphan director Jaume Collet-Serra is also still attached to the project, but who knows if it will ever happen. Would you be happy or sad if it did?

Check out this wild stylized character design of Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The digital illustration was created by Hans Kristian Andersen. It's just a work in progress at the moment, but I like where he's going with it. It's a very different take on the look of the Ninja Turtles. At least, I've never seen a design quite like it before.

NetherRealm Studios has released an awesome Mortal Kombat X story trailer, and it reveals a new generation of badass fighters who are not welcome in Outworld. The character include Jacqueline Briggs, daughter of Jax; Takashi Takeda, son of Kenshi; Kung Jin, descendant of Kung Lao; and the two classic characters, Mileena and Sindel, have been confirmed to be playable as well. It was also revealed that the game takes place 25 years after 2011’s Mortal Kombat. 

After you watch the story trailer make sure to check out the “MKX Kombat Kast,” which focuses on the crazy brutalities that gamers will find in the game.

Mortal Kombat X is NetherRealm Studios’ next highly-anticipated installment in its legendary, critically-acclaimed fighting game franchise that propels the iconic franchise into a new generation. The game combines cinematic presentation with all new gameplay to deliver the most brutal Kombat experience ever, offering a new fully-connected experience that launches players into a persistent online contest where every fight matters in a global battle for supremacy.

For the first time, Mortal Kombat X gives players the ability to choose from multiple variations of each character impacting both strategy and fighting style. Players step into an original story showcasing some of the game’s most prolific characters including Scorpion and Sub-Zero, while introducing new challengers that represent the forces of good and evil and tie the tale together.

Mortal Kombat X will be available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on April 14th.

I've got an amazingly entertaining animated/live-action short film for you to watch called "Danny and the Wild Bunch." The film was wonderfully directed by Robert Rugan, and this is the brief story description:

A children’s book author is told that her new manuscript needs to be “darker”, but when her revisions piss off the characters in the book, they come back to make some changes of their own.

The short is just as fun as it sounds, and I absolutely loved it. I really liked the haunting, dark tone that it has with these adorable children book characters that go bad. The character design and animation of these characters are great, and the brief story it tells is pitch perfect. 

Sony PlayStation has released a great new trailer for their upcoming series adaptation of the Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming’s comic book series Powers. The story centers on two detectives played by Sharlto Copley and Susan Heyward as they investigate superhero-related homicides. The concept that fuels this story is intriguingly rad, and everything I’ve seen from it looks like it will make for an amazing series. This is one show that I won’t be missing. 

Powers follows the lives of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker (Copley) and Deena Pilgrim (Heyward), who are assigned to investigate cases involving people with extraordinary abilities, referred to as “Powers.” Set amidst today’s paparazzi culture, Powers asks the questions, what if the world was full of superheroes who aren’t actually heroic at all? What if all that power was just one more excuse for mischief, mayhem, murder, and endorsement deals? Enter the men and women of the Powers Division, the only people brave enough to go up against the overpaid, commercialized, superhumans who glide through the sky imposing their power over the crowds below who both worship and fear them.

30 Days of Night and Hannibal series director David Slade helmed the first two episodes of the series. It is set to premiere on the PlayStation Network on March 10th and will be free of charge to PlayStation Plus members. 

The pilot episode will be available for free to everyone at PlayStation.com/Powers. The series also stars Max Fowler, Adam Godley, Noah Taylor, Olesya Rulin, and Eddie Izzard.

HodgesArt has created a few great t-shirt design for Teepublic, and a couple of my favorites are these character designs he did for Disney's The Little Mermaid and Frozen. We've got a punk rock Ariel illustration, which comes with the caption, "The "Not so Little" Mermaid!" The other one features Elsa sporting an out fit inspired by the iconic Slave Leia outfit worn by Carrie Fisher in Return of the Jedi. That one comes with the caption, "Looks like Leia isn't the only Princess to be taken in by a Hutt!" 

You can buy the Ariel shirt here for $14, and the Elsa one here for $20.

The CW's superhero TV shows Arrow and The Flash are doing very well for the network right now - so much so that we'd heard a possible spin-off series was in the works for Brandon Routh's character, Ray Palmer/The Atom. Now Deadline has the details of that project, which isn't only a showcase for Routh, but a "superhero team-up show" that will star Routh, Wentworth Miller, Victor Garber, and Caity Lotz.

Fans of The Flash will know that Miller plays villain Captain Cold and Garber plays Dr. Martin Stein, and Arrow fans - major spoiler alert here, by the way - will certainly recognize Lotz as former Canary Sara Lance, who is now dead. Or is she? Does Lotz's inclusion in this new show mean that her character is somehow still alive? Or maybe this show will take place at different times, flashing back to when she was still around? There are a lot of possibilities here, but with the way comic books and comic book movies and TV shows kill people off and bring them back (cough Agent Coulson cough), I wouldn't be surprised if Sara somehow survived.

This show is still early on in the development phase, so there's reportedly still a chance that other Flash/Arrow characters could appear. In addition to that, Deadline says that the show will feature "three major DC Comics characters who have never appeared in a TV series." Who do you think they could be? Are you interested in this spin-off?

It's with a heavy heart that we report that Leonard Nimoy, beloved actor, director, and writer, has died at the age of 83. The New York Times reports his death was caused by "end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease."

Nimoy will best be remembered for his role as the logical half human/half Vulcan science officer Mr. Spock in the Star Trek franchise, in which he starred in the original series (earning three Emmy nominations) and eight films, including J.J. Abrams' recent reboot and its sequel. Nimoy also directed the underrated Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, as well as Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Some of his non-Trek roles included providing the voices of Galvatron in Transformers: The Movie, Jekyll and Hyde in The Pagemaster, and Mr. Moundshroud in The Halloween Tree (the latter two I saw a dozen times growing up). In the live-action realm, he had a starring role on the original Mission: Impossible TV series, as well as tons of guest spots on everything from Bonanza to The Twilight Zone. He was also a successful stage actor, poet, a photographer, and a singer, having famously performed "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" on his 1968 album Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy. And here's something I didn't know about him: he directed the hit comedy Three Men and a Baby.

Nimoy was a pop culture staple, a living legend, and a geek icon. He truly lived long and prospered, and he will be deeply missed. Rest in peace.

Relativity Studios is moving forward with their reboot of The Crow, and they are in talks with Boardwalk Empire action Jack Huston to play the title role. Luke Evans (Dracula Untold) was attached to the film for the longest time, but he ended up dropping out of the project when he didn't really see it going anywhere. 

The script for the film was written by Cliff Dorfman and it will be directed by Corin Hardy (The Hallow). James O’Barr, the creator of the original comic, is serving as creative consultant on the project and according to him, the plan is to make a page-for-page adaptation of the comic book. You can read more about O'Barr's vision of the film here.

Huston is a talented actor, and he currently shooting the Ben-Hur remake with Timur Bekmambetov, in which he plays the lead role. I think this guy could have a very strong career ahead of him if he chooses the right projects. This reboot of The Crow could be great or it could turn out to be dud. Only time will tell, but if it's a good adaptation of the comic I hope he takes it, because he'd be great in the role. 

The fact that O'Barr is involved with bringing the film to life gives me hope.

Source: Deadline

Edward Scissorhands is easily one of my favorite Tim Burton films. It’s just an absolutely beautiful movie, and it's one of those stories that just completely engulfs you from start to finish. It was also the first time that Burton and Johnny Depp would work together. Who would have thought their collaboration would lead to such an iconic working relationship? It also helped solidify Depp's career as a film actor. Here are 10 fun facts from the film that I've put together that some of you may or may not be familiar with.

• Winona Ryder was attached to The Godfather Part III, but dropped out to play Kim in the film. Depp reportedly convinced her to do so, and it was a smart move on her part. Drew Barrymore was also considered for the role.
• Depp only had to say 169 words in this film. That’s a pretty easy acting gig, except for the fact he had to lose 25 pounds for the role and wear a hot leather costume the whole time.
• Vincent Price's role was supposed to be larger, but the legendary actor was very ill with emphysema and Parkinson's disease so his scenes were cut down. The role was specifically written for him, and it was the last movie he was in before he died. This was the last scene he ever shot:

• Edward Scissorhands is Burton's favorite of all the films he has made, and Danny Elfman's favorite of all his soundtrack compositions.
• The little blonde kid on the Slip & Slide at the beginning of the film is Nick Carter of The Backstreet Boys.

• The neighborhood in the film is based on Burton's hometown of Burbank, but the houses used  were located in a real community in Florida. They were completely unchanged except for their garish exterior paint.
• The film was originally written as a musical, but it didn’t pan out. Burton would revisit the musical concept on films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride.
• Gary Oldman was offered the title role but he turned it down. Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, and Robert Downey Jr. were all considered for the role. Apparently Cruise wanted a happier ending, which is weird because it kind of was a happy ending.
• When Edward runs away back to his home, Depp collapsed from heat exhaustion due to the extreme temperatures and the leather costume.
• Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) auditioned for the role of Jim, but the role went to Anthony Michael Hall.

You will find the original trailer for the film below, including one of my favorite scenes from the film:

Thanks to Imdb.

Marvel has released three new character posters for Avengers: Age of Ultron. They feature Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), who looks like she just stepped out of the world of Tron. Her costume has been teased in previously released promo art, but this is the first time that I've really seen those blue lights pop. It remind me that a Marvel and Tron crossover film would be completely radical. There is some wicked cool Tron-style Marvel art that you can check out here. 

Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure. 

The movie comes out on May 1st.

The team at Screen Junkies are back with a brand new video, this time taking a look at a bunch of fake movies that are in real movies. I love that this spans everything from well-respected movies like Singin' in the Rain, The Big Lebowski, and Boogie Nights to mostly-forgotten movies like Last Action Hero. I think Angels With Filthy Souls from Home Alone might be my favorite, just because for the longest time I thought it was a real movie and I tried searching for it at my local blockbuster when I was a teenager because I wanted to see the whole thing. And am I the only one who really wants to see Chris Evans star in that fake movie from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? I would totally watch a film in which he growls one-liners like that throughout the entire thing. What are your favorite fake movies?

While we wait for J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney XD is going to take us on a whirlwind trip down memory lane of a galaxy far, far away with a new TV series set in the Star Wars universe. THR reports that the network has picked up LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales, a five episode limited series that will re-tell the story of the movies through the eyes of C-3P0 and R2-D2 (in animated LEGO form, of course).

Set after the Rebel Alliance victory on Endor seen at the end of Return of the Jedi, the droids are regaling the assembled of their adventures that led them to their present situation.  An accidental kidnapping leads to a new adventure that progresses to the re-telling of the saga in the chronological order, starting from The Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi.

C-3P0 and R2-D2 were intended to be the connective tissue in the original trilogy - the ones who "bind the galaxy together," as Obi-Wan might say. But this LEGO series sounds like it will really put them front and center this time and give them the floor to tell their version of the story. All five episodes will be twenty-two minutes long, and all five will air before The Force Awakens bows on December 18th.

Interested in seeing the whole saga told from the droids' perspective?

Earlier this morning we learned that legendary Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy had passed away. I was such a huge fan of the man and his work, and it was an incredibly huge shock to learn of his passing.

Upon hearing the news, I almost immediately looked up the scene in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan where Spock dies. It was just an instinct I had, and this time the scene hit me with so much more power, emotion and meaning than it ever has before. The damn thing made me cry, so to get me back in a happy mood I looked up a couple of funny videos featuring Nimoy to watch that made me laugh. I included all those videos below in case you wanted to ride the same emotional roller coaster I put myself through. 

Then there's his final tweet that he posted on February 22nd, and it's really quite beautiful.

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015

I'm deeply saddened that Nimoy is no longer with us, but his spirit will live on in the memories of his fans, and in all of the wonderful work that he accomplished in his lifetime. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.