Hello, everyone. It's been a relatively quiet week with the giant that is San Diego Comic Con looming in the distance. The two largest events of the week have already been covered (the release of the latest Batman trailer and the final Harry Potter film). However, there have been some interesting announcements, especially one regarding a certain big green monster.


1. Akira News
---------------------------------------

An adaptation of the popular sci-fi cyberpunk anime/manga Akira has been rumored for years. Names such as Zac Efron have been tossed around more than once for starring roles in the film, and due to negative backlash it appeared as if the film had gone into development hell. According to Variety, Warner Bros. has finally announced a new director for the adaptation and a new more conservative production budget for the film of $90 million. Akira will be directed by Oprhan and Unknown director  Jaume Collet-Serra.


2. Kingdom Hearts 3 Update
------------------------------------------


Development hell is an unfortunate state of being that seems to take hold of a large amount of properties this day. It held onto Duke Nukem Forever for over a decade and look how that turned out. However, depsite a lack of news fans of the Kingdom Hearts franchise have waited patiently for years on information on the latest installment in the series. This week series director Tetsuya Nomura announced that the aniticipated handheld spin off Kingdom Hearts 3D would feature numerous hints towards the next installment in the main franchise Kingdom Hearst 3. He also announced that the plot for the game would finish the Xenahort saga, but keep Sora around for future installmetns in the franchise.


3. The Hobbit Production Diary #2
----------------------------------------------------------


In keeping with true Peter Jackson fashion, the New Zealand director has continued to offer us glimpses into the behind the scenes settings of the latest trip to Middle Earth. This time the production diary gives us a glimpse into the actor's lives between filming, but still offers us some tantalizing glimpses at next years two part prequel.

4. The Evil Dead to be Remade
-------------------------------------------------------

There are few bigger cult films than the Evil Dead franchise. Each film is held in high esteem in sects of nerd culture across the world, and their success helped to elevate star Bruce Campbell and director Sam Raimi to cult status. Now before anyone starts crying foul on this, Ghost House Pictures has announced that Evil Dead will be remade, but with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell both acting as producers. Ghost House also announced that the two handpicked fledgling director  Fede Alvarez to direct and write the film after seeing his work on the short film "Panic Attack". The script will later be revised by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody.

5. David Goyer to Write Godzilla Script
---------------------------------------------------

There are few films I am more excited for than the upcoming reboot of the Godzilla franchise. However, little has been said about the production since the January announcement that Monsters director Gareth Edwards would direct the film. Wednesday, Legendary announced that the film would be written by David Goyer who previously penned the scripts for Batman Begins, Blade 2, and the upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel. He also has story credits on the two Nolan Batman sequels. Later this week, Legendary Pictures head Thomas Tull spoke to the heads of Motion Captured regarding the film and its take on the world famous monster star:

What I can tell you about the approach the studio is taking to the film is that Godzilla is not "just" a giant monster. He is a character, a major force of nature, and there will definitely be other giant monsters in the world. They're focusing on the notion of Godzilla as a defender of Earth, the one thing that can stop some of these other giant creatures, and while there will obviously be a human story playing out with the giant monster story, don't expect it to overwhelm or overshadow the monsters. They know why you're going to the theater, and they are determined to give you a real, no-compromises Godzilla film featuring the giant lizard you know and love already. There are definite design choices they'll make, and the official Toho Godzilla has gone through many changes over the years, but I guarantee when you see this one for the first time, you will know immediately that it is Godzilla.

The site also hinted that if the film performs well that there will be multiple sequels.

Source: http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/legendary-brings-in-david-goyer-to-rewrite-godzilla

While it may be lacking any real news, it is comfortable to see that the Legendary Pictures Godzilla reboot is moving forward. Check out this interview with producer Brian Rogers.

Larry Doyle is quickly becoming a comedy superstar. A former writer for the Simpsons, and author of the widely successful I Love You, Beth Cooper, Doyle has already shown the world that he has skill in creating successful satire and memorable characters. Doyle continues his success in his recent comedic novel, GoMutants!.

In a world where the monsters, aliens, and events of B-Movie Horror films from the 50's actually exist, J!m, son of a particularly hated invader, must struggle to survive high school. While J!m has problems typical of an American teenager (puberty, girls, bullies, etc.) he also must deal with the fact that his neighborhood suspects him of being an alien terrorist. Luckily, he has the help of his two friends Johnny, a mutant motorcycle-riding ape, and Jelly, a jello like mass passing as a fat kid.


Go Mutants! is a unique premise to say the least. Although its plot relies on the cliches of both the high school comedy and science fiction genres, Go Mutants! never stops feeling surprisingly fresh.

Perhaps the most obvious and striking aspect of the novel is the fascinating world that it takes place in. Although designed as a satire, Doyle manages to breath a surprising amount of life and detail into a land populated by aliens, mutants, robots, etc. Incredible detail is given to the history, politics, and even pop culture of this surreal universe, which is surprising given that the book is a comedy. However, due to Doyle's deadpan and atypical sense of humor, certain confusing aspects are explained so nonchalantly that they required repeated reading to understand.


Despite this flaw, Go Mutants!'s comedy is endlessly funny. While there are the expected pop culture references, Doyle's humor spreads beyond name dropping. The characters and situations presented are enough to deserve a several laughs. That's not to say that Doyle does not use his expertly crafted universe effectively. Fans of the science fiction genre will be able to pick up cameos Gojira, Gort, and even Triffids.

Despite taking cues from 1950's culture, Go Mutants! is relevant, and continuously successful, in its satire. Commenting on topics ranging from the War on Terror to teen society, Doyle's tale is as almost as thought provoking as it is funny. While you won't find anything here as stirring as Catch 22 or other satirical masterpieces, Go Mutants! is a great piece of satirical fiction.

While overshadowed by the world they inhabit, the characters that populate the world are certainly notable in their own right. Each are interesting, and their plights believable and sympathetic, if slightly cliched.

While it may best be enjoyed by fans of the science fiction genre, Doyle's latest comedy is well worth the read.


Score: -A

Perhaps one of the biggest sleeper announcements at this year's Comic Con is further news on the upcoming Legendary Pictures Godzilla reboot. While not an actual announcement, Legendary has begun handing out a cool new shirt that reveals the design of the King of the Monsters for the upcoming Godzilla film. The shirt in addition to offering the first ever glimpse at the film, also features a cool web cam feature featuring Godzilla's trademark beam, seen below.

2012 is shaping up to be a huge year for giant monster fans. Not only do we have the upcoming Legendary Pictures Godzilla reboot, but it appears that we may have yet another big budget monster film due for release.


As reported back in May, Dreamworks has purchased the rights for the popular kaiju based strategy game Monsterpocalypse. Since this announcement was made several months ago, Tim Burton's name has been rumored to be attached to this project. There was even speculation that Burton's regular scribe John August would be penning the script.


Today, Slashfilm posted an interview with project producer Roy Lee (The Departed, How To Train Your Dragon). In addition to confirming that both August and Burton are indeed attached to the project, Lee announced several previously unknown details for the film.


Monsterpocalypse is being developed with 3D technology and is currently shooting for a late 2012 release. Lee also hinted at several plot aspects of the game adaptation: "The plot involves giant monsters who attack earth. After the humans fight back, the monsters retreat, but it is quickly discovered that they didn’t leave, but instead burrowed underground and are sending some sort of signal into space. The humans prepare for a possible future attach and developed giant robots that will fight the monsters if and when they return.


Most of the movie is going to be during that battle between the giant robots and the giant monsters." For those versed in the world of Monsterpocalypse, this seems to heavily hint at the G.U.A.R.D. and Planet Eater factions being the major focus of the plot, meaning that many of the other factions may not be featured in the film.


Lee also announced that award winning special effects expert Ken Ralston (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, the original Star Wars trilogy) will work with Burton in designing the creatures for the production.



You can read the full interview here.

Yup. Amongst the chaos of E3 I have still found time to post random web videos. Admittedly these will be weaker entries ,but still. Have fun!


1. Teen Werewolves
----------------------------------------------------------------------


I know there are cliques, but really guys? Really?


2. Classic Viral: Fat Kid on Roller Coaster
------------------------------------------------------------


Wow. The world is a cruel place...But why can't I stop laughing?

3.Godzilla does what!?!
----------------------------------------------------------


Pretty self explanatory.

As reported last month, Dreamworks Pictures plans to create a film adaptation of Pioneer Press's popular strategy game Monsterpocalypse. Despite scheduling conflicts with Burton's other project Dark Shadows , a revival of a 1960's vampire soap opera (yes this stuff existed before twilight, the search has already begun for a writer. According to Heat Vision, Burton will work with long time creative partner John August, writer of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Corpse Bride, and Big Fish. No decision has been officially made regarding Burton's other commitments, but chances are we will be seeing a new rise of giant monster films in the years to come.

Like Warhammer, Monsterpocalypse stands out amongst most tabletop games as having a rather well fleshed out mythology. Mixing elements of Godzilla, H.P. Lovecraft, Transformers, and Ultraman Monsterpocalypse tells a frantic story of the world on the brink of destruction. Apparently this has caught the attention of Dreamworks studios, who announced today to Deadline Hollywood that they had acquired the rights to the popular strategy game. Even more interesting is the rumor that famous director Tim Burton is toying with the idea of helming the film. Either way, this is certainly exciting news for monster fans.

2012 is shaping up to be the most crowded and chaotic summer in recent memory. Warner Bros. announced today that the sequel to the award winning The Dark Knight will premiere July 20, 2012, just several weeks after the controversial Spider-man reboot enters the fray. Batman will have his work cut out for him. The summer of 2012 is filled with big budget special effects movies that will certainly eat away at a potential audience. Batman faces opposition from the board game adaptation Battleship (May 25), Star Trek 2 (June 29), The Avengers (May 4), and the tentatively scheduled Godzilla reboot. One things for sure, 2012 will end the world with a cinematic bang.

I am excited. Ecstatic. No I am literally about to fall out of my chair. Godzilla is back from the dead.

First rumored in last summer, Legendary Pictures, the studio behind Watchmen, The Dark Knight, and the upcoming Clash of the Titans, announced that they were in talks with Toho Co. Ltd. to release a reboot of the Godzilla series.

Today Legendary made the official announcement for the film, which is penned for a 2012 release.

"Godzilla is one of the world's most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise," said Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary. "Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has."

Toho Co. Ltd. had this to say: "Godzilla is a signature Japanese character which we have nurtured over the years. It is a great honor to reach an agreement with Legendary Pictures, the parent to many a blockbuster film, and we are delighted in rebooting the character together to realize its much anticipated return by fans from all over the world," comments Hideyuki Takai, President of Toho Co., Ltd. "We are anxious to find out where Godzilla's new stomping will take us."

It was also announced that Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes) , Roy Lee (The Departed), Brian Rogers , Yoshimitsu Banno (Godzilla vs. Hedorah) , Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will produce.

Nick’s Top 5 Top 10
In 2008 AFI did a little countdown where they counted down the top 10 movies of specific genres. I’m bored and thought I’d do something similar, but this time crossing multiple Nerd genres. Should be interesting and fun. It’ll also give you little insight into what I like, and what I consider to be great examples of nerddom across the board.

Comics



10. Godzilla King of the Monsters (Dark Horse)



As most of my friends and family know, I am a huge fan of kaiju, or Japanese giant monsters. There is little one can’t love about giant super powered men in suits fighting it out in Asian metropolises, and wreaking havoc upon all they touch. Godzilla King of the monsters is perhaps the best example of kaiju to make itself into comic form. The series is also notable for its total reinvention of Godzilla’s origin, straying away from the anti-war message that is often a staple of the series. Instead, Godzilla is a titan reawakened by an ancient tablet to reignite his war on Earth. The series also does a superb job of balancing engaging and violent story telling with traditional corny Godzilla stories. There are numerous nods made to the overly cheesy endings and plot lines of the series, and they add a degree of humor to the series. One particular arc that I enjoy follows a series of interstellar poachers who come to bag the Big G as a trophy. What follows is similar to Ridley Scott’s Alien, but with a giant fire breathing behemoth and fifty foot tall aliens in the city of Seattle. If you can’t find fun in that you have problems.

9. Cable and Deadpool



This series is perhaps one of the most confusing and philosophical stories I’ve ever read about two mentally unstable mercenaries. Cable and Deadpool plays out like a buddy film between a wise cracking 4th wall breaking bounty hunter and a messianic cybernetic Jesus figure from the future. Confused already? Don’t worry it gets worse, or better, as it goes along. Cable and Deadpool was a series that never shied away from telling politically volatile stories with a heavy hand of pop cultural dark humor. It is the only series to this day that had literally had me laughing out loud for five minutes. There are so many things to love about the stories and characters you easily forget about the convoluted plot and sometimes subpar art.

8. Sensational Spider-Man




This short lived two year Spider-man spin off won me over for the simple reason that it told stories that other Spider-man books couldn’t and wouldn’t tell. Friendly Neighborhood was busy being a giant piece of shit and Amazing was filled with the major plot points and story arcs. Sensational was an amazing series because it told the eerie and more character driven stories that were often overlooked. Ranging from a spectacular arc about Spidey’s animal like villains going insane all at once and going on a primal rampage throughout New York to a one off about what happens to one of Peter Parker’s students after he discovers that his biology teacher is truly a super hero. Spectacular featured superb art and wonderful storytelling, and it was a shame to see it end.

7. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron



Star Wars comics are a mixed bag. Forced to live inside the confines of Lucas’s sprawling and complicated continuity they are given little story telling opportunities. Also many series feel the need to cram in a major action sequence into every issue (*cough*Dark Times and Legacy *cough*), which distracts from character and plot development. However, Rogue Squadron is the rare exception. Telling the story of Wedge’s infamous group of fighter pilots, Rogue Squadron plays out like a Band of Brothers style drama about heroics, loss, love, and political corruption. Featuring some of the best Star Wars characters in the entire Expanded Universe, Rogue Squadron is above all things a story about the characters. Not to say that there isn’t terrific action sequences. The series features some of the most intense battle scenes ever depicted in the saga, and they are a marvel to watch. It also has some of the biggest emotional impacts in a comic I’ve ever seen. When characters die, you actually feel a sense of loss. These are beings you’ve seen grow and mature for numerous issues, and to see them fall is heartbreaking.

6. Avengers: The Initiative




Marvel Civil War was perhaps the largest and deepest reaching story arc in the history of Earth 616. It forced Spider-man into hiding, made Iron Man head of S.H.I.E.L.D., and most of all spawned this series. Avengers: The Initiative describes the militarization of Marvel’s lesser known superheroes, and reads like a combination of Stripes, Harry Potter, and Black Hawk Down. The art is top notch, and the original characters are likeable and fun to watch. It is always a thrill to see a myriad of the lesser knowns of the Marvel universe interact with one another. The action is also gritty and violent for a super hero comic, and characters actually die, violently. It’s hard not to fall in love with this story, and almost makes you happy that Pro-Reg won the war. Almost

5. New Avengers



What do you get when you combine basically every popular Marvel character and perhaps the best writer in Marvel? You get the New Avengers, the political character driven story following the Avengers team that takes over after the violent tragedy of Avengers: Disassembled. Although the roster of the team is always in constant flux, there will always be a character on the team who you enjoy watching. The story is also one of the most significant and influential in the Marvel Universe and is a must read for any fan.

4. Invincible Iron Man



After Civil War, people hated Iron Man. Well, that’s a soft word. People DESPISED him. Tony Stark had single handedly screwed over the entire Marvel Universe in the course of one year. Even his blockbuster movie couldn’t sell fans on the idea of Tony Stark as a hero. Luckily, Matt Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man wasn’t far around the corner. Taking its impetus from the movies, Invincible Iron Man takes some of the most talented writers and artists in Marvel and delivers a story that is approachable by any fan of the character, movie or comic. The story is also mature and violent, and is populated by well drawn out and realistic characters. And in an obvious nod to the films, Obadiah Stane and Pepper Potts make their return in the series.

3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic



If you’ve read my posts, and listened to the podcast, you should know one thing. I am in love with Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. Easily my favorite game of all time and my favorite era of Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic is a winning series for me from the start. Yet what really sold me on the series were the brilliant characters and remarkably original plot. Zayne Carrick is perhaps the most unique Star Wars hero ever written and also one of the most likeable. He never slips into clichés, his unshakeable sense of justice, and quirky humor make him a joy to watch from panel to panel. His pairing with Gryph, a Snivvian conartist, provides for some of the best in comics chemistry I’ve ever seen. KOTOR is one of the few Star Wars series that will make you laugh. With characters like the Moomo Brothers, two incompetent Ithorian bounty hunters, you’ll be in stitches. Not to say that the series doesn’t feature a story. KOTOR follows its video game counterpart in providing one of the most original and powerful Star Wars stories ever told, and yes it’s better than the prequel films.

2. Captain America: The Death of Captain America



Captain America really isn’t a character I like to follow. I find both his concept and design goofy, and his story arcs never capture me. However following the Civil War Marvel did something unthinkable, they killed him. Gunned down in a Post War riot, the patriotic superhero slips to the ground as security scrambles and the superhero community is rocked to its core. What follows is the Marvel equivalent to 24 as Winter Soldier/Bucky, Cap’s former side kick, The Falcon, and Sharon Carter, Cap’s lover, hunt down the shooter and fight off a terrorism wave. With dark and poignant art, The Death of Captain America reaches legendary levels of complexity and emotion, and at times you forget you’re reading a book about guy who runs around hitting people with a shield with the American flag on it. The Death of Captain America is a must read for ANY comic fan young and old, serious and casual.

1. The Amazing Spider-man



Perhaps the most influential super hero series of all time, the Amazing Spider-man redefined the way comics were told. Peter Parker was not invincible, and he wasn’t a billionaire, he was a teenager with real problems and issues. Spider-man was as relatable as he was humorous and powerful. It also features such comic landmarks as The Death of Gwen Stacy, one of the boldest moves every made in Marvel history. Spider-man is also filled to the brim in memorable characters powered and nonpowered. Although in its recent years has been plagued by poor editorial decisions, Marvel’s flagship series still sparkles with a decidedly human shine.