Tag Archives: Media

Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey17 trailer is even crazier than the book

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The film adaptation of the immensely popular sci-fi novel Mickey7 has been in the works for years, but now we finally have a trailer and it’s filled with surprises. For one thing, it’s now called Mickey17 and, well, fans of the book know exactly what that implies. It means they’re in for an even crazier experience than what’s written on the page.

The movie is written and directed by one of the modern masters, Bong Joon Ho, who seems to have taken some liberties with the source material. Light spoilers, but the book follows a series of clones of the titular Mickey as they perform the grunt work of colonizing an exoplanet. The book chronicles seven (ish) Mickey variants, but the movie is amping this up to at least 17. This will give us plenty more darkly hilarious clone deaths, which the trailer shows quite a lot of.

The novel is right up Bong Joon Ho’s alley. Clones are basically second-class citizens who exist to die for their corporate overlords. This leaves plenty of room for social satire in the vein of both Snowpiercer and Parasite. The trailer leans into this stuff and the results look truly entertaining and, believe it or not, really funny. We love to see unique IPs in the cinema, don’t we folks?

The various Mickeys are played by Robert Pattinson, so that’ll get some butts in the seats. The cast also includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo. As a book reader, I know who everyone is playing except for Ruffalo. That looks like a brand-new character, though he could be an amalgamation of a couple of minor players. Adaptations require some dark alchemy at times.

This could be the first big hit of 2025. It arrives in theaters on January 31. There’s also some franchise potential here, as the book already has one sequel and author Edward Ashton has been toying with ideas for a third entry.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/bong-joon-hos-mickey17-trailer-is-even-crazier-than-the-book-170004844.html?src=rss

The Dead by Deadlight co-op shooter spinoff has been officially canceled

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Update, September 18, 7PM ET: As first reported by Game Developer, Behaviour Interactive not only canceled Project T, it also closed Midwinter Entertainment, the studio which was working on the game. In a statement, the Canadian developer said "This sad news in no way reflects the talent of the team, who put a lot of energy into Project T. All the employees were offered to relocate to our Canadian studios, as we strongly believe in their expertise. Should they decide not to accept, they will be presented with a generous severance package. We want to thank them for all their hard work on Project T and wish them the very best for the future." Midwinter Entertainment was founded as an independent studio in 2016 before being acquired in 2022. 

The original story follows:

Earlier this year, Behaviour Interactive teased a few Dead by Deadlight spinoff games. One has since been released to relative acclaim, The Casting of Frank Stone, and What the Fog kinda came and went. That leaves one game unaccounted for. Today, we can scratch that one out for good. The company just announced that the spinoff known only as Project T has been canceled.

Project T was advertised as a third-person co-op shooter, making it one of the rare times in the franchise players would be able to fight back against enemies using guns. The game has been around in beta form for a while, as part of Behavior Interactive’s insider program. It looks like those early playtests didn’t go so well. The company said that “a number of players expressed satisfaction” but that the “outcome of this deep analysis yielded unsatisfactory overall results.”

This doesn’t mean anything for the larger franchise. The developer has leaned into experimental projects lately and it looks like Project T just didn’t make the cut. It’s unfortunate, but there’s still the mainline game and it’s many, many crossovers.

There’s also the aforementioned The Casting of Frank Stone, which is a narrative driven title by Supermassive set in the same universe. Finally, What the Fog is something of a Jumanji-like spin on the OG game. Kids get sucked into a board game. You know the drill.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-dead-by-deadlight-co-op-shooter-spinoff-has-been-officially-canceled-154312867.html?src=rss

Lionsgate signs a deal with the devil (an AI startup)

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Remember when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA went on strike for months, in great part to get protections against AI? Well, while they did get some stipulations in there, it's not stopping AI from coming to Hollywood anyways. Lionsgate, the studio behind the John Wick and Hunger Games franchises, has struck a deal with AI startup Runway, the Wall Street Journal first reported and Runway confirmed in a press release. The arrangement will allow Runway access to Lionsgate's content library in exchange for a fresh, custom AI model that the studio can use in production and editing.

The deal is similar to recent (and equally icky feeling) ones with publishing houses such as TIME and Dotdash Meredith, but it is the first of its kind for the film and TV industry. Vice chairman of Lionsgate Studio, Michael Burns, said that in recent months, he feared falling behind competitors without a step like this. "Runway is a visionary, best-in-class partner who will help us utilize AI to develop cutting edge, capital efficient content creation opportunities," Burns stated. He then claimed, "Several of our filmmakers are already excited about its potential applications to their pre-production and post-production process."

There's also the small matter that he expects the company will save "millions and millions of dollars" through this agreement. Whether that money will come out of creatives' paychecks is something we can only speculate about now, but it wouldn't be surprising.

As for Lionsgate's new bedfellow, like many AI companies, Runway has faced accusations of pilfering content to train its system. A former employee came forward in July with alleged internal spreadsheets demonstrating that Runway used YouTube videos from the likes of Disney, Netflix and popular media outlets to train its Gen-3 model. A group of artists are also suing Runway and other players like Stability AI for copyright infringement, reports Artnet. The plaintiffs garnered a win in August, with California District Judge William Orrick finding they had reasonably argued these companies had violated the artists' rights.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/lionsgate-signs-a-deal-with-the-devil-an-ai-startup-151046341.html?src=rss

Substack, a newsletter service, is now also a live video company

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Substack is adding a live video component to its newsletter service. In its announcement post, the company positioned this feature as providing real-time audience engagement for creators. At launch, the feature will only be available to people with Substack's Bestsellers badges, but the company said it plans to roll it out to all users in the coming months.

Creators can begin live videos within the Substack app. As with written material on the platform, a creator can set whether the audience for a live video is everyone, all subscribers or paid subscribers. Any channel subscribers will be notified when a live video begins. There's also an option for collaboration, inviting other Substack members into the live broadcast. For now, only iOS users can issue invitations; Android users can accept an invite for now, and are slated to receive access to the full feature "soon." After a live broadcast finishes, a recording will be saved in post drafts so the video can be used in a future newsletter. There's also a clipping tool for light video editing tasks.

Substack has been making a push to bring video content creators to its platform from TikTok, which doesn't seem like an obvious competitor to the company's existing offerings or an obvious match for the community it has cultivated. Emails are asynchronous communication that can be read whenever it's convenient, the polar opposite of must-watch-now live videos. The option to include recordings in newsletters is useful, but adopting the live viewing as a regular part of their Substack routine may be a big ask for current users. In short: there's no guarantee that the new feature will function well, or that most newsletter creators and readers are interested in engaging with video content.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/substack-a-newsletter-service-is-now-also-a-live-video-company-150004585.html?src=rss

Geralt broods by the campfire in the first clip from Netflix’s The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep

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On Tuesday, Netflix dropped a clip from The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep at the company’s Geeked Week 2024 event. The clip for the upcoming animated film leans on the familiar dulcet growls of Doug Cockle, who voiced Geralt of Rivia in the games.

Cockle introduces the clip with an enthusiastic tease of the merpeople Geralt will battle in the film. “That’s right — he’s gonna cross swords with merpeople of all things!” Cockle exclaims in the clip. “Amazing stuff, it’s gonna be so cool.” Hey, can’t blame a voice actor for hyping their project.

The scene shows Geralt and Jaskier (voiced by Joey Batey, who also plays him in the live-action series) sitting by a campfire. Jaskier, after complaining about the town’s “small-minded fools,” picks up on Geralt’s apparent interest in Essi and tries to play Cupid for the brooding white-haired monster slayer.

Animated Geralt of Rivia sitting in front of a campfire, holding meat on a stick.
Netflix

The clip also reveals The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep’s official release date. The film will begin streaming on Netflix on February 11, 2025, after initially being announced for late 2024.

The film is based on A Little Sacrifice, a short story written by Witcher universe creator Andrzej Sapkowski. Set between episodes five and six of the Netflix series’ first season, the film has Geralt “hired to investigate a series of attacks in a seaside village and finds himself drawn into a centuries-old conflict between humans and merpeople.” It’s from the South Korean animation studio Studio MIR, which also animated the 2021 prequel film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.

Below, you can watch the Geeked Week clip, including the delightfully growly-voiced Cockle’s introduction.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/geralt-broods-by-the-campfire-in-the-first-clip-from-netflixs-the-witcher-sirens-of-the-deep-203810425.html?src=rss

After a 15-year hiatus, a new Skate game is coming in 2025

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Skateboarding games have been going through another golden age the past couple of years with contributions like Devolver’s surrealist skater Skate Story and Phantom Coast Games’ roguelite shredder Helskate. And now a new entry in one of the most beloved skateboarding franchises just moved one step closer to getting a release date.

EA announced plans for an early access release for a new Skate — simply titled skate. (lower case, with a period) —game next year on the game’s official X account. The update also includes some pre-alpha footage of the new game that’s currently being playtested for consoles and the franchise’s first PC release through Steam.

Fans of the long-running Skate franchise have been receiving a stream of teases and updates since EA first announced the new entry four years ago. Notably, last June EA informed fans this new title would be a free-to-play live service game with microtransactions (allegedly without any “play-to-win” elements though). The game’s publisher also released new details on its official game dev diary about how it's rebuilding the “Flick-It” trick control system, expanding the game’s character customizations and implementing playtests with feedback from the franchise’s fans.

The devs also revealed some interesting details about the game’s core narrative. The new Skate game takes place in the fictional city of San Vansterdam, which has been taken over by a corporate overlord named M-Corp. It seems that M-Corp’s misdeeds are finally catching up to it, meaning that the shreddable city of San Van is open to skaters once again. A teaser video shared an update on M-Corp’s crumbling empire starring I Think You Should Leave star and comedian Tim Robinson as corporate lackey Richard "Richie" Dandle.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/after-a-15-year-hiatus-a-new-skate-game-is-coming-in-2025-182125136.html?src=rss

A Sims movie from Amazon MGM Studios is on the way

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The Sims has been one of the biggest success stories in gaming over the last quarter century, with more than 500 million players trying to understand Simish, learning what WooHoo-ing is and using the classic Rosebud cheat to gain more money. All of that could be coming to a big screen near you, as Electronic Arts has revealed that Amazon MGM Studios is working on a movie adaptation of the games.

Kate Herron (Loki, The Last of Us) will direct the film and co-write the screenplay with Briony Redman (Doctor Who). One of the production companies that's on board is Margot Robbie's LuckyChap, which seems appropriate given that EA is looking "to make an impact the size of something like a Barbie movie," EA vice president and Sims general manager Kate Gorman said. (For the tape, Barbie is the 14th-highest-grossing film of all time.)

EA wants the movie to be an authentic experience for fans, particularly given that many people have "love and nostalgia" for the series. To that end, you can expect a lot of Sims lore and Easter eggs in the film.

“There will be Freezer Bunnies,” Gorman told Variety. “I’m sure a pool without a ladder is somewhere in there, but we haven’t finalized any of those details. But that’s the idea, is to say that it lives within this space. It’s a nod to all of the amazing play and creation and fun that people have had over the last 25 years within The Sims.”

Meanwhile, EA provided updates on The Sims franchise as a whole. The company doesn't currently plan to release The Sims 5, instead opting to focus on updating The Sims 4 and releasing paid expansions for the 10-year-old game. The publisher is also spinning up a creator program and some players who create custom in-game items will be able to sell them as Creator Kits.

While The Sims 4 will remain the core of the series, EA is looking at expanding the franchise in other ways, including with Project Rene, a cross-platform multiplayer experience that the publisher has been talking up for a couple of years. An invite-only playtest is scheduled for this fall.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-sims-movie-from-amazon-mgm-studios-is-on-the-way-161159048.html?src=rss

Apple Music brings its audio haptics feature to all users as part of iOS 18

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Apple’s Music Haptics feature is now live, as part of the official release of iOS 18. This is an accessibility tool that integrates with Apple Music on iPhones. Simply put, it uses the phone’s speaker-based haptics system, which the company refers to as the Taptic Engine, to create “taps, textures and refined vibrations to the audio of the song.”

This is quite obviously aimed toward those affected by hearing loss, allowing them to feel the music. It works with Apple Music, but also with Apple Music Classical and Shazam. The company says it’ll also integrate with some third-party apps, so long as the iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi or cellular. 

To get started, just head into the Accessibility settings menu and turn on “Music Haptics.” An easily identifiable logo will appear on the Now Playing screen in the Apple Music app when activated. Tapping this logo will pause the feature and tapping it again will turn it back on. Music Haptics is supported globally on iPhone 12 and later, as long as the device is updated to iOS 18.

To commemorate the launch, Apple Music has released a series of playlists that take advantage of the haptic technology. These channels have names like Haptics Beats and Haptics Bass, so they are filled with songs with plenty of opportunity for taps and vibrations.

People have already been experimenting with the feature. Some users have suggested that it “sounds like an Atari game” when a phone is placed on a box with Music Haptics turned on. I don’t agree but, well, listen for yourself.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-music-brings-its-audio-haptics-feature-to-all-users-as-part-of-ios-18-184753345.html?src=rss

Who exactly asked for a Wordle VR app?

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It seems that The New York Times isn't quite content with players attempting to complete Wordle 4.8 billion times a year on its apps and website. The publication has brought the all-conquering daily word game to a new platform in the shape of Meta Quest headsets. That's right, Wordle VR is now a thing. There's a dedicated app for it on Meta Quest 2, 3 and Pro.

Wordle VR works in much the same way as the game does on your phone or computer. You have six attempts to guess a five-letter word. The mystery word is the same for all players and the game refreshes at midnight local time. The main difference in VR is that Wordle is played on a floating screen, with yellow and green blocks in the background. I guess those add a little extra visual stimuli.

"We’re always looking for unique and creative opportunities to reach audiences with our games," Jonathan Knight, the general manager of NYT Games, told the Meta Quest blog. "This collaboration reflects our embrace of innovative technologies and exploration of new formats and experiences, like mixed reality, to bring our games to life. Wordle is the perfect choice for this virtual environment, given its simple, user-friendly interface that audiences everywhere have come to love."

I can't imagine that anyone will explicitly strap on a Quest headset just for the two minutes or so it takes to play each round of Wordle. But perhaps having the app on their Quest homescreen will remind them to try to keep their streak going before they hop into Asgard's Wrath 2 or that cool-looking Batman VR game. Otherwise, was anyone truly hoping for Wordle VR to exist? (If that's you, please drop a comment below. I need to know.)

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/who-exactly-asked-for-a-wordle-vr-app-184055339.html?src=rss

Shogun and The Bear win big for Disney at the Emmys

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The second Emmys of 2024 have come and gone, with streamers once again winning big for some of our favorite television shows. Disney had a fantastic night, winning 60 awards across all its platforms, including Hulu and Disney+. Hulu's limited series Shogun led it to victory with 18 wins — 14 at the Creative Arts Emmys and four on Sunday. 

Shogun, based on a book of the same name, is a fictional retelling of 17th-century feudal Japan. The show took home the awards for best lead actor and lead actress in a drama series, with Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai becoming the first Japanese recipients in their respective categories. It also won for outstanding drama series, directing and period costumes, among other accolades.

The Bear also did its share, taking home 11 awards, including Jeremy Allen White's win for outstanding lead actor. Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Liza Colón-Zayas won for supporting actor and actress in a comedy series, respectively. The Max show Hacks beat out The Bear for outstanding comedy series and lead actress. The Bear already won Disney 10 Emmys earlier this year (four coming from the Creative Arts Emmys) as the 75th Emmys were postponed to January 2024 from September 2023 due to last year's WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. 

Disney's competitor HBO's Max received 14 wins, while Netflix received 24 and Apple TV+ got 10 — the excellent Slow Horses scored an Emmy for outstanding writing for a drama series. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/shogun-and-the-bear-win-big-for-disney-at-the-emmys-123049460.html?src=rss