Return of the Super Assholes: Umbrella Academy and The Boys Drop New Trailers

The clihéd stereotypes about superheroes on screen, which were mostly established by the 1960’s Batman series and the Superman movies of the 1970s and 80s, are still often lampooned, but seldom actually used. The 2019 Warner Bros. film Shazam! was pretty wholesome, and both Spider-Man and Captain America have certainly had their moments, but for the most part, the genre has moved away from its roots. From the wisecracking Tony Stark to the brooding Dark Knight to the Netflix Defenders, we’ve gone decidedly darker and more layered than the stereotype should allow.  This was a natural progression, and then in 2016, they gave Deadpool his own movie, and suddenly, the whole genre seemed to shift a bit.

Is Dredd 2 Ever Going To Happen? The Facts So Far.

Judge Dredd is a staple of the British comic industry. His exploits have been documented in a fantastic story arc, with Dredd getting older through each issue and his view points changing throughout the comic book series.

So it is not surprising that this wealth of Mega-City 1 history would eventually be mined for the big screen.

Thor: Ragnarok – Valkyrie, Urban, Goldblum, and Planet Hulk?

“In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle, foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water.”

While Thor: Ragnarök still is a while away, there have been several updates recently, all following rumors of some hiccups in production. Around the beginning of the year we reported about the rumored, now confirmed, casting of Cate Blanchett as Hela the Goddess of Death.  Mark Ruffalo is also confirmed as he reprises his role as Bruce Banner.

Is Dredd Coming Back on NetFlix?

I am the law. 

One of the greatest travesties in recent geekdom was the financial failure of the 2012 release of Dredd. Written and produced by Alex Garland (Ex Machina), and starring Karl Urban (Star Trek) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), Dredd corrected all the major wrongs perpetrated by the 1995 Sylvester Stallone led Judge Dredd. The film, one of the best of 2012, is estimated to have cost a modest (for a comic book movie) $35-50 million to produce, and pulled back only about $13 million during its theatrical run in the US ($41 million worldwide). Now the movie did find life in the secondary market with Blu-ray and On Demand rentals, making another $18 million or so, but it wasn’t enough for the studio to greenlight a sequel.

Fast forward a few years to last week, when the internet was all abuzz about a possible Dredd revival in the form of a NetFlix series.

Judge Dredd: Fan Films And Animation Keep Character Alive Onscreen

Let’s face some harsh facts here, Dredd fans. As much as we want it to happen (and we really do), it’s becoming more and more unlikely that we will ever see Karl Urban suit up in the Mega City One gear again. But Dredd fans shouldn’t be too disheartened. There is a plethora of Judge related videos out there, a lot of them made by fans that are keen to keep the adventures of Joe Dredd alive and kicking.

Dredd Sequel: Official Comic Book and Campaign for a Movie Follow Up!

Judge Dredd Magazine Prog 340 will feature a story that’s set directly after Dredd 3D. The story which is being billed as a sequel to the hugely entertaining movie (which starred Karl Urban as a pitch perfect Judge Dredd) will match with film’s visual design, continuity and characters.

What’s happening with that movie sequel we talked about though? Well, over on Facebook there has been a petition started to get one off of the ground. The petition is being supported by Judge Dredd licensees, 2000AD, and Rebellion who all fully back the project. An email was sent out to all 80,000 supporters of the project this week calling for a day of action next Wednesday. In order to show that there is a demand for more Dredd, the campaign is asking that you either buy a copy of the DVD or Blu-ray, if you already own one buy it for a friend, or watch the movie through an on demand service such as Netflix, which it is currently in the top 10 on!

The email that was sent to supporters contained the following information:

[box_light] Thank you – you’re one of more than 80,000 people have now signed the petition calling for a sequel to DREDD! The response to the petition has been just incredible and the endorsement of the owners of Judge Dredd, 2000 AD and Rebellion, has seen the numbers surpass everyone’s expectations.

But we still need your help!

On 18th September, we’re encouraging everyone to take part in a massive DREDD SEQUEL DAY OF ACTION – we’ve already made the money men who could get behind a sequel sit up and take notice by consistently keeping the DVD and Blu-Ray in the charts on Amazon and now on Netflix.

We’re asking everyone who’s signed the petition to come together next Wednesday and drive DREDD back up the charts – if everyone who’s signed the petition bought an extra DVD or Blu-Ray (either for themselves or as a present for a friend) or rented/bought it on iTunes and Netflix it will send the loudest signal yet that WE WANT MORE DREDD!

So spread the word that on Wednesday 18th September, you’re going to bring DREDD back into the public eye! Plus, it’s the day that the new comic book sequel comes out, with lots of media attention planned for this and the campaign.

Thanks to Rebellion for helping put this newsletter together – we’re also really pleased to reveal that the official T-shirt for the campaign is now available, so you can wear your support with pride!

So, you ready?

DON’T FORGET – if you unsubscribe from the petition your name will no longer appear in the list of those calling for a sequel!

Stay subscribed and you’ll get occasional updates about how the campaign is doing as well as any major news about a potential sequel – we promise we won’t spam you or pass your details on to any other company.

And don’t forget to encourage all your friends and family to sign up to at Dredd Sequel Campaign

Available to buy NOW – this is the only OFFICIAL ‘Make a DREDD sequel’ campaign T-shirt!

Available in multiple sizes, wear it and let everyone know you support the campaign!  [/box_light]

We’re huge fans of Dredd here at G-Bomb. It captured the essence of the character and had a basic, but effective storyline that really embedded us in the world Dredd inhabits. The changes made to the costume and designs were all solid, overall it was loyal the source material without being a carbon copy. Afterall, how the Hell can a man be so dexterous and athletic with a bloody eagle strapped to his shoulder?

Screen writer Alex Garland has spoken before at how he would like to expand and widen his take on Judge Dredd and Mega City One. Also, the thought of having Judge Death in a movie to me is exciting as Batman taking on Superman.

To sign up to the petition head over to the 200oAD site, and don’t forget to follow the campaign on Facebook too. Next Wednesday I will be watching Dredd on Netflix to show my support, make sure you do the same! I may even get a t-shirt.

More of FOX’s Upcoming ‘Almost Human’

As the summer drags on and we slowly melt to death (oh, that’s just me? okay then), the networks are kind enough to give us little pieces here and there of their upcoming new shows. One such show is Fox’s Almost Human.

While the trailer is nice, FOX has released a ‘behind the scenes’ video which gives us a better look at the show and it’s characters.

Starring Karl Urban, Michael Ealy, Minka Kelly, and Lili Taylor, Almost Human is a show set as producer JJ Abrams says “in the near future.” So we aren’t quite to Star Trek level tech, but we’ve made huge advances from modern times. Before we can even address the whole ‘synthetic’ thing it’s got going, I’m stuck on this picture.

How is the rookie cop standing at the side of the crime scene going to get the okay from the grizzled vet, who’s two years away from retirement, to let the distraught best friend into the crime scene to identify the woman murdered by a carjacker? Can you lift up a hologram? Can you? Of all the stupid things to get hung up on, I’ve chosen this one.

Moving on… Almost Human is pretty much a mix of RoboCop, iRobot, and Inspector Gadget. The first time Karl Urban tells his leg to make him taller, I’m going to start a petition that it never be canceled, ever. I do actually really like the aspect of the man who is reluctant to accept ‘synthetics’ in the first place and now he is part synthetic. As long as they are able to keep that ‘ying-yang-‘ relationship going between John Kennex (Urban) and Dorian (Ealey) fresh, then Almost Human should have a pretty good run. Only time will tell if they are able to pull that off though.

Almost Human will premiere on Monday, November 4th at 8pm.

Riddick: New Trailer for the Franchise’s 3rd Installment

Pitch Black was the sci-fi/action/horror movie that introduced us to the always on the run convict, Riddick. who aside from being a total bad ass also has surgically enhanced eyes that can see in the dark. It was a wonderfully done movie with a simple premise and then based on Riddick’s popularity and Vin Diesel’s rising star at the time, they did a sequel based solely on Riddick which was aptly named Chronicles of Riddick. Summarily, that movie sucked super-duper bad. It was like they had to get away from the lower budget and simplistic story of Pitch Black just because Vin Diesel was involved and the movie suffered greatly for it.

Fast forward almost 8 years later. Vin Diesel’s star power had been waning until the inclusion of the Rock into the Fast and Furious franchise and it becoming a half billion dollar juggernaut. Now apparently Vin Diesel is back to being able to carry a franchise on his own without the help of Dwayne Johnson, although another ex-wrestler, Dave Bautista will be joining him in this outing of Riddick. Bautista has been on a bit of a role lately. He was most recently in The Man With the Iron Fists, he’ll be starring in Riddick and has snagged a role as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy. Anywho, back to the Diesel. Check out his latest turn as Riddick in the trailer below:

Looks entertaining enough to me. It looks like they’re going with the simplicity of Pitch Black. Basically Riddick is stranded on a barren planet with some ugly predatory life whilst the only humans posing a way off the planet are there to imprison or kill him. Aside from Bautista, the film will also feature Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff, Bokeem Woodbine, and Jordi Mollà.

I’ll be giving the movie a go once it hits theaters. How about the rest of you? Is Riddick old news or are you excited for his newest adventure? Sound off below!

Karl Urban Talks Possible ‘Dredd’ Sequel

Despite losing about $10 million at the box office, Dredd was one hell of a movie, and one of our favorites from last year. As awesome a flick as it was, because of the business side it’s been assumed that we would not get to see it bloom into a franchise, which is a shame. However star of the movie, Karl Urban seems to think that’s not written in stone:

New Trailer & Sneak Peek & Pics From ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’

Shocker of shockers, it’s still a month away from the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, but those bastards out there responsible for hyping the film still find it necessary to ceaselessly tantalize any and every Trekkie out there by releasing little clips or new stills. In particular a new trailer has been released, and this time it gives us a bit more of a confirmation of the growing themes for these Star Trek movies. It’s almost definitely revenge and the pursuit of it destroying you. This trailer paints a clear picture of Kirk becoming his own personal Ahab, with Cumberbatch painted as his white whale. I’m looking forward to the movie obviously, but I’m more looking forward to seeing how the film will stand up as the ever so important “middle” entry in the series, if it is indeed a thematic trilogy we’re getting with these new Star Trek films. Sure there could and probably will be more, but in the same way Wrath Of Khan, Search For Spock and Voyage Home were all linked around the character for Spock, this first three can be around the idea of revenge. I’m just looking to see how it’s all going to play out in the grand spectrum of things, because this trailer certainly makes the film look to be very, very revenge-centric. Overcome personal demons and all that. It’s literally titled INTO DARKNESS, so I suppose that’s the first clue anyway.

Also there was a new teaser that was shown on the MTV Movie Awards, which I would have never seen if not for Internet. I think the only reason I ever even put on MTV anymore is to watch that Catfish show. I have this fantasy about someone really beautiful pretending to be a total uggo, starting an online relationship with that person, and revealing that they’re actually totally gorgeous after all. Surprise! You got reverse-Catfished! I mean, that’d be a much more interesting show than one about a bunch of weird broken people pretending to be people they’re not right? How does this relate to Star Trek? It doesn’t. At all. And I’ll tell you why; It’s because there’s only so many ways you can possibly look at what generally adds up to the same series of clips, trailers, previews with a new little scene added in to make it technically new, and not just immediately groan in impatience and frustration. I’m not necessarily a child of instant gratification, but let’s just say I tend to like things as a sudden surprise than a long, excruciatingly dragged out wait. When it comes to film or TV, the journey is never the point, it’s always the destination. Unlike life, which is almost always the opposite.

Well regardless of my elaborate and terrible bitching, (because I’m a huge bitchy little emo man-baby), the clip does look goddamned neat, and the myriad pictures collected spell an interesting story. One I’m still not sure about, but why would I want to be? I’m one of those people who enjoys being surprised by a movie, and often films I’ve loved the most are the ones I knew nothing about beforehand at all. Take a look at them for yourself, and you be the judge of whether you find yourself wanting to know more about the scenes they’re from.

See like I said, that teaser was interesting, but mainly composed of things we’ve seen before, with little barely perceptible snippets of new stuff. I get it though, it’s a teaser. You’re supposed to watch it over and over to try to guess. I suppose I’m just so tired from being teased all the time. It’s a love/hate relationship with film and television. It teases you relentlessly, but you always come back for more. It’s probably the most abusive relationship there is. Aside from any of those on Catfish though. Man have you SEEN that show! Goddamn!

Oh yeah. Pictures. Woo!

Last but not least, there’s also some actually pretty well designed movie posters. They’re still basically floating heads, but at least they’re good floating heads.

And last but not least, I certainly won’t add in that picture of Alice Eve in her underwear like last time, because I am a man of class and taste. However, I can’t be held responsible for whatever my editor decides to add here at the last-minute. Ahem.