An animated Game of Thrones series is in very early stages of production at HBO Max, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
No deal has been inked as of yet, so it’s entirely possible the series will never materialize, but THR reports that HBO is meeting with writers for the potential project. The animated series will reportedly follow in the same mature tone of the original TV franchise.
Representatives for HBO Max declined to comment. It’s unclear if the animated series would follow the events of the original series or follow different events in the Thrones universe.
Chalk it up to the growing list of Game of Thrones spinoffs that HBO is eagerly pursuing following the end of the original series. There’s the adaptation of the “Tales of Dunk and Egg” novellas that explores the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and Aegon Targaryen. House of the Dragon, a prequel series focused on the Targaryen family, has recently hired on Doctor Who’s Matt Smith and The Witcher series director Geeta Patel and expected to premier in 2022.
This won’t be HBO Max’s first original animated series. Close Enough, the next series from Regular Show creator J.G. Quintel, premiered in 2020. IGN gave it a seven out of 10, calling it a “effective and entertaining.” HBO Max has also produced a number of original animated miniseries based on properties like Looney Tunes and Adventure Time.
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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/animated fella for IGN.
In what promises to be the biggest cinematic throwdown since Batman v Superman, Godzilla and King Kong are finally rekindling their age-old rivalry in the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong. When a gigantic lizard monster and an oversized monkey get into an old-fashioned donnybrook, there can be only one victor.
Or can there? If we’ve learned anything from Batman v Superman and the many other hero vs. hero crossovers in pop culture, it’s that these stories usually culminate with the two combatants putting aside their differences to battle a common foe. In this case, will Godzilla and King Kong team up to take on Mechagodzilla or Mecha-King Ghidorah? That’s a popular theory among fans, and there’s plenty of evidence to support it, including a tantalizing couple of moments in the trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong. Here’s why Godzilla and King Kong’s big brawl may be just an appetizer for the true fight to come.
Could this red-eyed monstrosity in the Godzilla vs. Kong trailer actually be Mechagodzilla?
Legendary’s Godzilla MonsterVerse: The Story So Far
Godzilla vs. Kong is actually the fourth film in a shared cinematic universe that began with 2014’s Godzilla reboot. Dubbed “The MonsterVerse,” this series also includes 2017’s Kong: Skull Island and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In this universe, humanity is under constant threat from gigantic monsters called Titans or MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms), who are attracted to humanity’s nuclear technology. Godzilla himself is basically nature’s immune system. He wakes up every so often to fight off these Titans and prevent the world from being completely overrun.
While there are a handful of characters who appear in multiple movies (Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell, Kyle Chandler’s Mark Russell, Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Ishirō Serizawa), it’s really the scientific organization Monarch which ties the larger universe together. Monarch is formed after World War II to study the Titans and attempt to hide their existence from the general public. It’s this group that sets the events of Kong: Skull Island in motion, and they’re the ones tasked with dealing with a new wave of Titans in Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The organization will continue to play a major role in Godzilla vs. Kong and, in fact, they may be the ones responsible for setting the final battle in motion.
The post-credits scene in King of the Monsters certainly hints at this outcome. That movie ends with a glimpse of Charles Dance’s character, ecoterrorist Alan Jonah, approaching the slain corpse of King Ghidorah, heavily implying his group has plans to study and even weaponize the remains of Godzilla’s powerful nemesis. That certainly seems like a seed that’ll bear fruit in Godzilla vs. Kong.
The Godzilla franchise has seen many incarnations over the years, but one thing is constant. Inevitably, the king of the monsters starts battling giant robots. Godzilla’s feud with Mechagodzilla dates all the way back to 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. In that movie, Mechagodzilla is portrayed as an alien weapon constructed of “space titanium” (which is clearly far superior to regular titanium) sent to conquer Earth for its creators. However, in most of its later appearances, Mechagodzilla is instead depicted as a terrestrial robot charged with protecting humanity from Godzilla. Ironic, considering Godzilla is just trying to save us from ourselves.
Whatever its current origin story, with its vast armory and armored shell, Mechagodzilla usually puts up a pretty good fight. But in the end, it’s only ever a matter of time before Mechagodzilla winds up decapitated and explodes.
Similarly, Mecha-King Ghidorah has a long history duking it out with Godzilla, starting with 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. In that movie, humans from the future use their technology to revive King Ghidorah and give him a technological upgrade. For once, Godzilla’s nemesis is shown fighting in defense of humanity rather than trying to destroy it.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla vs. Kong?
As much as we’re all pumped to see Godzilla and King Kong pummel each other, we highly doubt the new movie will show them at each other’s throats the entire time. Both characters are really the heroes, at the end of the day, even if Kong’s story tends to end in tragedy. Kong only cares about protecting whatever comely human lass has caught his eye lately, while Godzilla is basically the MonsterVerse’s version of Galactus – a great destroyer who maintains balance in the universe.
Eventually, these two monsters will realize they shouldn’t be fighting each other. That’s probably where the movie’s true villain comes in. As we covered already, the post-credits teaser in King of the Monsters hints that Monarch is using the remains of King Ghidorah to build a terrible new weapon. And we might even see a glimpse of that weapon in the first trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong. If you pause at the three- to four-second mark, those glowing red eyes sure seem like they’d belong to a mecha-giant monster of some kind, don’t they?
The old-school Mechagodzilla.
The trailer also shows a computer screen that seems to display the schematics for a mechanized Titan. Heck, it could even be that Mechagodzilla is running around wrecking cities in a Godzilla skin suit, and that’s why everyone is so mad at Godzilla!
Or maybe it’s just that, having endured several giant monster rampages in the last few years, Monarch’s scientists are obsessed with building a weapon that can stop Godzilla and all other Titans in their tracks. Using a combination of King Ghidorah’s carcass and the finest tech 2021 has to offer, Monarch will unleash a greater threat than anything it’s been trying to stop. Whether that threat turns out to be Mechagodzilla or Mecha-King Ghidorah (or both), the end result is the same.
It’s an understandable, if misguided, mission. Nobody wants to live n constant fear of an enormous reptile stomping through their apartment complex. But as is so often the case in science fiction, mankind may be guilty of underestimating its own creation. We know from King of the Monsters that Ghidorah is an ancient alien trying to terraform the planet. What if Mecha-King Ghidorah retains its memories, causing what should be a defensive measure for humanity to become a greater threat than Godzilla or King Kong could ever be? Godzilla and King’s wrestling match could be the least of our problems.
And then there’s also these Funko POP figures for the film, which feature variations on Godzilla and Kong… including a Kong with RED eyes. Maybe he just needs some visine… or could we be looking at a Mecha Kong as well here? There is a precedent for that, and he’s called… Mechani-Kong!
On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O’Brien, and Max Scoville to discuss the Resident Evil Village Maiden demo, exclusively available on PS5, as well as why we’re loving Hitman 3, Cyber Shadow, and more.
Plus, we miss the PlayStation Plus games announcements but make our guess for the lineup, answers some listener questions, and more!
This is a spoiler-free review for Alan Tudyk’s Resident Alien, which premiered Jan. 27 on Syfy.
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While it’s already drawing obvious comparisons to Northern Exposure, Syfy’s new sci-fi dramedy Resident Alien reminds me a little of Dexter, the Michael C. Hall-starring show about a Miami serial killer hiding in plain sight. Stay with me here: That series was a divisive one given the inconsistency of its quality and the heavy-lifting that Hall did to carry the show’s appeal squarely on his back, with most of the supporting cast left as a bit of an afterthought. That lack of balance seems to be the case with Resident Alien too, at least in the early going.
Based on the Dark Horse comic series by Peter Hogan and artist Steve Parkhouse, the show centers around an alien disguised as a small-town doctor, played by the infinitely talented and likable Alan Tudyk. The show does well by its lead – giving him ample opportunity to explore our resident alien’s (aka Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle) many strange habits and overall confusion with humanity’s own peculiarities – but it doesn’t quite know how to utilize the rest of its eccentric ensemble.
There’s a fair amount of potential that gets set up in the series pilot – a quirky hour of familiar but amusing fluff – only to be undercut by its more baffling narrative choices. For one: why is this show an hour long when it clearly wants to be a half-hour comedy? Like… Alan Tudyk playing an alien trapped on Earth pretending to be a doctor, whose only knowledge of actual doctoring comes from TV? Yes please, give me all that physical comedy – no other contrivances or plot twists needed.
Unfortunately, Resident Alien doesn’t give Tudyk much room to run with the insanity of the concept, since he’s too busy dealing with mounting narrative wrinkles and side missions, including a quest for his lost spaceship; a murder mystery in town; his need to stay ahead of some shadowy government types; and his scheme to murder the only person in town who can see through his disguise (who happens to be a kid, not that Harry cares) – and that’s barely scratching the surface. The show has more plot than it knows what to do with, but is at its best when it focuses on the characters.
Syfy has advertised the series as “the sci-fi, murder mystery, doctor dramedy Earth needs now” and that blend of genres, tones, and ideas is definitely on display – to the point where it doesn’t seem to know what it actually is or how best to deploy the considerable talents of its cast – it’s an everything and the kitchen sink approach that leaves Resident Alien feeling torn in too many directions.
But the generic, slapdash way in which the series’ world is fleshed out may be its biggest problem. While the supporting cast members often steal their scenes with moments of dark, odball humor, the character archetypes themselves – the inexperienced town mayor and his bland wife, suspicious sheriff and his downtrodden deputy, flirty bartender, ominous government agents – feel copy and pasted from some worn-out “supporting parts” handbook that can’t hold a candle to Tudyk’s deranged central performance.
There’s also something oddly dated about the show’s setup – right down to Harry’s love of Law and Order: SVU. Though I could arguably watch Alan Tudyk do pretty much anything, his charm and relentless physical comedy skills can only take the series so far. Resident Alien is amusing enough, if half-baked science-fiction storytelling is your thing, but you can’t help but wish they’d settled on one idea rather than five.
Update 3 (1/27/21) – The subreddit r/WallStreetBets is no longer private, and the mods have posted a message explaining the ever-changing situation they are dealing with how they plan to move forward and address its issues.
“We have grown to the kind of size we only dreamed of in the time it takes to get a bad nights sleep,” u/zjz wrote. “We’ve got so many comments and submissions that we can’t possibly even read them all, let alone act on them as moderators. We wrote software to do most of the moderation for us but that software isn’t allowed to read the Reddit new feed fast enough and submit responses, and the admins haven’t given us special access despite asking for it.
“We’re suffering from success and our Discord was the first casualty. You know as well as I do that if you gather 250k people in one spot someone is going to say something that makes you look bad. That room was golden and the people that run it are awesome. We blocked all bad words with a bot, which should be enough, but apparently if someone can say a bad word with weird unicode icelandic characters and someone can screenshot it you don’t get to hang out with your friends anymore. Discord did us dirty and I am not impressed with them destroying our community instead of stepping in with the wrench we may have needed to fix things, especially after we got over 1,000 server boosts. That is pretty unethical.
“To add to this, people are co-opting our name on twitter. I won’t mention their accounts, but lots of handles with “wsb” and “wallstreetbets” in them are pretending to speak for us. They’re saying things that we don’t agree with, driving traffic to derivative communities and shitty pixelated merch stores, and generally making it harder for us to define who we are. There’s also too much political bullshit in a community that was never ever political. The only way I want to occupy Wall St is in a suit myself or rent-free in the mind of a blown up short.
“That is why I’m throwing my support behind the Twitter handle in general. We need a way to PUBLICLY reach out to the staff of the infrastructure that is failing us so the world can see that we aren’t doing anything wrong here if they don’t respond. We need to be able to respond directly to a reporter that is lying to the world about our clubhouse. We can’t be expected to meet any expectations when we aren’t given the tools we need.
“That’s not to say I approve of every message or will even be in the loop for all of them, but it’s clear to me we can’t do nothing and we need a megaphone.
“http://twitter.com/wsbmod aka @wsbmod is the only Twitter handle whose statements are directly from some part of the team.
“We’ll do our best not to pretend to speak for you, but to try to speak with the volume our name now seems to command to get shit done for us.”
Update 2 (1/27/21) – The WallStreetBets Discord server has been banned, not because of “financial fraud related to GameStop of other stocks,” but because it has continued to allow “hateful and discriminatory content after repeated warnings.”
The subreddit r/WallStreetBets has also gone private, but it does not appear to be banned as of this writing.
Discord’s statement on WallStreetBets, as given to IGN, is as follows;
“The WallStreetBets server has been on our Trust & Safety team’s radar for some time due to occasional content that violates our Community Guidelines, including hate speech, glorifying violence, and spreading misinformation. Over the past few months, we have issued multiple warnings to the server admin.
“Today, we decided to remove the server and its owner from Discord for continuing to allow hateful and discriminatory content after repeated warnings.
“To be clear, we did not ban this server due to financial fraud related to GameStop or other stocks. Discord welcomes a broad variety of personal finance discussions, from investment clubs and day traders to college students and professional financial advisors. We are monitoring this situation and in the event there are allegations of illegal activities, we will cooperate with authorities as appropriate.”
As of this writing, GameStop stock is currently trading at an all-time high stock price of around $350, but it isn’t due to a miraculous turnaround by the company, but a battle between short-sellers like Citron Research and others like the subreddit r/WallStreetBets.
Short selling is more or less a strategy in which investors can borrow stock in exchange for an IOU. For example, an investor can borrow a stock from a broker for $100, in hopes that the stocks price goes down. If that price does go down to $80, they can buy back that stock, but at the price of $80, therefore netting a $20 profit. It is basically betting against a particular stock.
