Month: September 2019

A new Ghostbusters movie is coming in 2020, and now we’ve learned a little more about it. At least two of the original franchise’s stars, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, will reprise their roles, and other original cast members might come back as well.

Aykroyd confirmed on the Joe Rogan Experience that he’s coming back for the Ghostbusters 2020 movie that’s being written by Ivan Reitman, the son of the original Ghostbusters movie director Jason Reitman. “I’m not in the picture so much anymore; we’ve got the Ghostbusters movie that we’re working on now, and I will have to be performing in that,” Aykroyd said.

Aykroyd went on to say that the movie, which has the title (or perhaps working title) “Ghostbusters: The Third Movie,” is looking to bring back other original cast members, too.

In the interview, Aykroyd started off by saying “all” of the original Ghostbusters cast will be back for the new one. Then he said “most of the original people.” Later in the interview he said “some” of the cast from the first movies will be back. So it seems it’s not completely worked out yet.

Asked directly about if Bill Murray will reprise his role of Dr. Peter Venkman, Aykroyd said, “We’re hoping.”

Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore, will come back as well. He confirmed in a video message on Cameo that he’s coming back, and in fact, that the movie is shooting right now.

Going back to Aykroyd, he said in the podcast interview that he’s very excited about the new Ghostbusters movie, which is scheduled to hit theatres in Summer 2020.

“It’s gonna be great. I’m so excited about it. It’s wonderful to be able to go back and revisit that,” he said.

Also in the interview, Aykroyd shared his thought’s on the 2016 Ghostbusters movie starring Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, and Leslie Jones. He said that behind the scenes, things could have gone smoother, as he did not always see eye to eye with director Paul Feig or Ivan Reitman. The movie might have also gone over budget, Aykroyd said. Still, he looks back at the movie with generally positive things to say about it and the cast.

“Great film. Really good film. Those girls were superb. But I should have been sitting there as a producer watching costs a little more,” he said. “Paul Feig and I and Ivan we had our little conflicts. There were things that we thought we didn’t think would work. Why shoot it? Why spend the money? But you know, he’s a director. We have to have faith. So there was a little conflict there… But all that’s in the past. I think he made a great picture with the girls. I love it. I think they’re all great in it. Really, he treated the movie with a tribute kind of legacy and respect, and there were some great new spirits in there, and the girls were great.”

Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts are expected to return in the new Ghostbusters, though it’s unclear if Rick Moranis–who quit Hollywood years ago–will come back for the new one. Actor Harold Ramis, who played Dr. Egon Spengler in the original movies, passed away in 2014.

The new Ghostbusters follows the story of a single mother (Carrie Coon) who is raising two children played by Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, It) and McKenna Grace (I, Tonya). Paul Rudd also stars in the movie.

In video game news, a remastered version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game is coming this year.

M. Night Shyamalan, the director of movies with twist endings and the writer of the tiny mouse movie Stuart Little that does not have a twist ending, has announced the release dates of his next two movies. Not only that, but he confirmed which studio will distribute them.

The new movies will release on February 26, 2021 and February 17, 2023 respectively, according to Collider. Universal Pictures, which released Shyamalan’s last three movies–The Visit, Split, and Glass–will handle Shyamalan’s next two as well. Like his previous movies with Universal, Shyamalan will pay for them out of his own pocket, with Universal handling the distribution.

Universal described the new movies as “original thrillers,” but there is no other information available. People are speculating that the movies may be connected or part of the same universe, but there is no word on whether or not this is true.

Universal boss Peter Cramer said in a statement, “M. Night Shyamalan continues to create exciting, highly original stories that keep global audiences on the edge of their seats. There is no one like him: he is a master filmmaker working at the height of his powers, and we are honored that he has once again chosen Universal to be the home for his next two incredible projects.”

Shyamalan himself said, “There are wonderful studios out there, but Universal has made it a mandate to release original films. They are the best at finding an audience for new stories with unexpected tones. I believe original films are crucial to the longevity of the theatrical experience.”

Outside of these films, Shyamalan’s next project is the Apple TV+ series Servant. He directed multiple episodes of the show, which does not yet have a release date.

One reason why Shyamalan opts to finance his movies out of his own pocket is because when big studio money gets involved, directors like Shyamalan generally have to give up some amount of creative control. Shyamalan financing movies himself theoretically gives him more freedom.

For his latest movie, Glass, Shyamalan spent $20 million of his own money to get the movie made. That money was a combination of the earnings from his two most recent movies, Split and The Visit, as well as collateral from his 125-acre estate in Pennsylvania.

Shyamalan’s most iconic movie is perhaps 2000’s The Sixth Sense, for which he earned Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Writing.

Star Wars and Star Trek director JJ Abrams recently signed a deal with WarnerMedia for his company Bad Robot to make new movies, TV shows, and video games in an agreement said to be worth $250 million. Other companies wanted to sign Abrams and Bad Robot as well, including iPhone company Apple. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple came to Abrams with an offer in the area of $500 million, but the veteran TV and movie producer said no for what sounds like a good reason.

THR claims that Apple’s half-a-billion-dollar offer came with a major string attached: that Abrams and Bad Robot would develop content exclusively for Apple. This would have meant that Abrams would not be permitted to pursue other projects, and he has many of these.

Abrams is currently partnered with Disney on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which he directed, while he is also reportedly attached to Paramount for something new in the Star Trek series. In the world of video games, Abrams is working with Fortnite developer Epic on a new title called Spyjinx. Abrams is currently also developing a sci-fi show with HBO called Contraband, while he’s making a new superhero movie called The Heavy with Paramount; he’s also producing the movie Zanbato with Guillermo del Toro.

According to THR, there were “several factors” that led to Bad Robot deciding to pass on Apple’s offer, and the exclusivity requirement was one of them. Another issue was “Apple’s lack of a theatrical distribution model,” according to the report. Apple’s lack of IP was also cited.

One of the reasons Bad Robot ultimately signed with WarnerMedia was because of the “larger opportunities” related to working with an established media giant as opposed to a relative newcomer in the entertainment space like Apple. The deal was “less about money,” and more about those future opportunities, THR reported.

As part of the deal with WarnerMedia, Bad Robot will produce more TV shows in the genres of drama, comedy, and longform, among others, and these will be produced for traditional TV and streaming services alike. WarnerMedia owns HBO, so you can expect some of the content to show up on HBO’s platforms.

Mobile gaming is getting pretty serious and if you want to keep up, you’re going to want a smartphone made specifically for gaming.

Before it’s back to school season, read up on the best laptops for college students or any other grade.

Though it’s been through some hard times over the past 19 years, KT Racing’s WRC series has been steadily improving since the French development team’s tenure with the license began in 2015, and WRC 8 represents its biggest leap in quality to date. Packed with outstanding stage design and bolstered by a number of welcome improvements – including a much richer and more nuanced career mode – WRC 8 is certainly the most in-depth rally sim to ever wear the official license. Finally, it’s positioned to compete with the big names in the genre.

Whether played with a pad or a wheel, WRC 8 is a satisfying arm wrestle and certainly the best-feeling WRC game I’ve played – and that extends back to Evolution’s memorable stint with the license back in the PS2 era. On a pad, the FWD cars like aggressive taps of the stick for countersteering – anxious drags just induce fishtailing. They also need keen tugs of the trigger to brake hard and step the rear out. The AWD WRC cars and their otherworldly acceleration and grip require much more finesse; you can pivot them on the throttle but they demand smoother inputs all around. On a wheel, however, it really starts to sing; it’s slippy but responsive as the tyres relentlessly claw at any surface, and the force feedback is impressive and effective.

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