Welcome back to the Weekly Nerd! This week, we are going to do a bit of a news roundup! There has been some cool stuff taking place, so let’s dive in, shall we?
Power Rangers
The upcoming Power Rangers movie has been gaining a lot of interest after their teaser trailer reveal back in early October. Recently we have been treated to some photos of classic characters redesigned for the new film.
Photos of Rita Repulsa have been floating around the internet for a while now. There have been a lot of theories that she would somehow become the Green Ranger. When compared to the Rangers, there seems to be a bit of thematic consistency. Plus, that scepter looks like a dragon claw… so perhaps she will join the heroes by the end of the film? Who knows! SPECULATION!
MOTHER OF GOD. I mean… So Alpha 5 looks a bit… different? Yes, the beloved robot helper from the classic Power Rangers series has received a facelift of sorts. I definitely want to see this strange dude in motion. His design is significantly more alien looking. But inquiring minds want to know: Does he still say “Aye yai yai!” all the time? Fans can look forward to this film’s release on March 24th, 2017.
Lego Batman
Lego Batman continues to look like an incredibly fun movie. Will Arnett’s (Arrested Development) take on the caped crusader is both charming and hilarious. Every new trailer just makes me want to see the movie more. The latest poster that they have revealed is incredibly exciting, as it showcases the large cast of heroes and villains that will make an appearance in the film.
What surprised me was the inclusion of Batgirl on this poster. It is great that both she and Robin will get to fight alongside Batman in what is sure to be a ridiculous adventure. In the background, we can also see villains like Clayface, Scare Crow, and Killer Croc to name a few. It will be interesting to see if many of the characters will have more of a major role and who will be relegated to a cameo appearance.
We are still waiting to hear news on a lot of the voice cast in the film, but recently it was announced that Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) will be voicing Harvey Dent, AKA Two-Face. This is an inspired choice considering the seasoned actor played Harvey Dent in Batman back in 1989. It only took him 27 years to finally become the iconic villain! Lego Batman will be in theaters on February 10th, 2017.
Inhumans
Initially, Inhumans was going to be a full-feature film, but it seems that the project has been moved to television instead. This actually makes some level of sense as Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has shown quite a bit of focus on this group of enhanced characters. Seeing as DC and the CW has been relatively successful with tying their TV show comic book world together, it is not surprising that Marvel would want to do the same thing with their network series.
Even though Inhumans has been switched to TV, fans can still look forward to experiencing it in theaters! The first two episodes of the eight-episode series will premiere in IMAX-ready theaters as they were shot in that format. The IMAX episodes will be about 80 minutes total, set to be in theaters on September 1st, 2017. The television version of these episodes will premiere on ABC closer to the end of September 2017. If you asked me last year if I would be interested in an Inhumans TV show, I would have probably said not really. Now, however, I must admit I am intrigued. The quality of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to rise and fall on a season by season basis. The current season is actually really enjoyable. But really, I want to hear more about the casting, directing, writing and producing of the show before I can get really excited.
Alien: Covenant
I am not going to lie, it is hard that to be a fan of the Alien franchise. With the disappointment that was Prometheus as well as the frustrating release of the game Aliens: Colonial Marines, it is hard for me to look forward to Aliens: Covenant. Even so, I am still going to approach this film with an open mind. The setup sounds as classic as any Aliens film where a ship of unsuspecting crew members come across a planet or ship that has a dark secret. Spoilers: there are killer aliens on the loose. Maybe.
This teaser poster seems to suggest that we will likely see a recognizable version on the classic xenomorph. This poster is quite chilling and adds to the mystery of the actual plot of the film. I am curious if they will keep the plot as secretive and misleading as they did leading up to Prometheus. If there is one thing I liked about that film, it was its lead up and marketing. I really liked the fact that the trailers kept you guessing about what was actually taking place in the narrative. It is a shame the final result was not to my liking. Having said that, there were certainly some aspects of Prometheus that were very strong. One of the best parts was 20th Century Fox’s (X-Men: Apocolypse) David, the creepy android, Fassbender will be reprising his role as well as playing another character in this film. I am curious to see what kind of state that David will be in as when we last saw him, he was just a head in a bag.
On another note, 20th Century Fox posted this picture on their Twitter page to honour director Ridley Scott (Alien) on his birthday. While it may just be a kind gesture to an iconic director, could this photo possibly suggest the return of the Space Jockey? It certainly is hard to say, but exciting to ponder over none the less. This room was prominently featured in Prometheus, so it would be cool to return to this setting again. Alien: Covenant is set to hit theaters on May 19th, 2017
That is just some of the interesting movie and TV news from the past little while. As always, I am very much looking forward to all of these projects. Next year will be very interesting for nerdy films. I can only hope all of these projects end up being as successful as possible. As these projects become closer, I am sure we will get a lot more information.
Nedu has had the old Power Rangers theme stuck in his head for hours. He is also a content writer for AYBOnline. His views are his own.
