Geekville Radio #213: 10/26/2018

This episode of Geekville Radio is dedicated to the memory of Gary Kurtz. Who, with the exception of George Lucas himself, may be the man most responsible for Star Wars getting made.

RIP Gary Kurtz

He will obviously best known for Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back, but he did have other titles to his credit. He also produced George’s first big hit, 1973’s American Graffiti, along with 1989’s Slipstream starring Mark Hamill and the late great Bill Paxton.

RIP Scott Wilson

Scott Wilson is probably best known to the current generation as Hershel in The Walking Dead. He was a regular series cast member in the first couple seasons. He also voiced Hershel for video game releases, and Robot Chicken. Hs career dates back to the mid 1960’s, and his first credited role according to IMDB is the original In The Heat Of The Night

Both Iron Fist and Luke Cage have been canceled by Netlfix

While it may not be surprising just for Iron Fist, fans were a little shocked at the cancellation of both Iron Fist and Luke Cage by Netflix. Both shows were well received, with Iron Fist almost universally praised as being a huge improvement over the first season. Especially when it comes to Finn Jones and fight choreography.

The big question is “Why both shows?”. Seth and Train can really only speculate, but there are a few possible reasons. Could this mean a Heroes For Hire show? Or even a Daughters Of The Dragon? And if so would it be for Netflix or Disney? Is it in either Netflix’s or Disney’s best interests to keep shows on Netflix, and not move them to Disney’s streaming service? And if they are Disney bound, than theoretically they could cross over with Agents Of SHIELD, another show that is rumored to move to Disney either next year or the year after.

On a side note, Seth and Train point out how Luke Cage can be considered the ‘White Meat Babyface” of the Netflix Marvel programming.

Kathleen Kennedy’s contract with LucasFilm has been renewed

Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Kathleen Kennedy will remain the president of Lucasfilm for at least three more years. There were rumors on other podcasts that she was on the chopping block and Disney was scrambling to find a replacement. That looks to not have been the case.

The only Star Wars movie currently in production is Episode IX. It will be the final “Episode”, and it will be marketed as such. There will be the aforementioned films by Game Of Thrones creators. Plus the Rian Johnson trilogy is still in development. So there will be no shortage of Star Wars on the big screen, despite the reported dialing back on films

One title that is absent from this list is the rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi film. We had reported a few months back that the film was set to begin filming in Ireland after Episode IX had wrapped. Just because that movie wasn’t mentioned, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is dead in the water.

When you look at the past films under her watch, several films did have some bumps along the way.

  • Rogue One went through a direction change, with Tony Gilroy taking over to adjust what Gareth Edwards had done. However Edwards maintained Director credit.
  • Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were outright fired from Solo and Ron Howard was hired to almost completely re-shoot the film. When you factor that in, it’s amazing it still made its release deadline.
  • Colin Trevorrow left Episode IX and got replaced by JJ

It seems the only movies that DIDN’T have troubles were with Abrams and Johnson.

Jon Favreau’s Series

In other Star Wars news, Jon Favreau’s series The Mandalorian has begun filming. It of course will be one of the flagship shows on Disney’s upcoming streaming service, now called Disney Play.

While no cast or characters have been announced, the premise will be a few years after Return of The Jedi, but well before The Force Awakens. There will be no First Order as of yet.

Budget for the first season is rumored to be at $100 million dollars. However, no specific number of episodes have been confirmed. But for what it’s worth there is a picture confirming George Lucas himself visiting the set.

Kevin Feige will oversee X-Men movies

On the subject of Disney, Hollywood Reporter has also stated Kevin Feige will be overseeing future X-Men movies with the Disney purchase of Fox. Disney’s Bob Iger gave some key answers to questions about Fox-owned properties in the MCU

I think it only makes sense,” Iger said. “I want to be careful here because of what’s been communicated to the Fox folks, but I think they know. It only makes sense for Marvel to be supervised by one entity. There shouldn’t be two Marvels.

When asked about talent

Very good question. We’re going to take the best people from both companies and that’s who’s gonna basically be on the playing field for us. Meaning, talent will prevail. Fox Searchlight is a great example. You look at FX, NatGeo. Yeah, you’re buying libraries and brands, but you’re also buying the people. I’m not gonna talk about specific people right now except to say that I’ve met with virtually the entire senior management team at Fox and I’m not only fully engaged with them on what the possibilities for them might be but I’m excited about the prospects.

It would stand to reason that many of the characters may get re-cast. As much as fans may want it, they probably shouldn’t hold their breath for an onscreen meeting between Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool.

The Next Spider-Man villain will be Mysterio

Jake Gyllenhaall was officially announced in the cast for Spider-Man Far From Home. He will be portraying Quentin Black, aka Mysterio. This will be the live-action film debut for the longtime Spider-Man villain. It’s also confirmed that Michael Keaton will be reprising the role of Adrian Toombs/Vulture. A leaked set photo shows Gyllenhaal in costume. Sadly, no “Fish Bowl Look”. At least not yet.

WB Crossover will be Elseworlds.

The annual CW “Flarrowverse” crossover will be titled Elseworlds. Entertainment Weekly reports that it will be a three part crossover, not the previous four part.

The Flash will kick it off on Sunday, which will be followed up by Arrow on Monday, and wrapped up with Supergirl  on Tuesday. This breaks the previous pattern of Supergirl having the first part in the last two years.

While there will be no regular involvement with the Legends Of Tomorrow cast, it has been revealed that Superman will join in, and Lois Lane will make her debut.

In an unexpected turn, an official internet poster showed Stephen Amell in the Flash costume, and Grant Gustin in the Green Arrow threads.

Also notable is the name Nora Fries in the cast of characters. Nora is of course the ill-fated wife of Victor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze. When you factor that this will also serve as the introduction to Batwoman, it may be an indicator to the premise of the Batwoman series.

Supergirl made a regular habit of taking lesser known villains from Superman lore, and adapting classic Superman stories to fit The Girl Of Steel. Could this mean we’ll see some Batman villains on the small screen for Batwoman? Time will tell.

Finally, Train talks the major news surrounding the release of the long anticipated Read Dead Redemption 2. IGN gave the game a perfect 10 score. An act that is incredibly rare.

Are you in the Halloween spirit yet? If you need anything to scratch your Halloween itch, check out the latest episode of Examining The Dead. Train reviews the movie Train To Busan, and talk the outcome of the Friday The 13th lawsuit. And of course, Dan Wilson talks his new horror themed production company One Good  Scare.

Crazy Train’s Halloween playlist is available on Spotify

Have any thoughts on these subjects? sound off below!

Daredevil Season 3 Trailer

There’s a new man Without Fear in town! At long last, Netflix has released a full trailer for the much anticipated third season of Daredevil.

When we last saw Matt Murdock, he was believed to have died with Elektra in the climactic finish of The Defenders. However, he was shown to be very much alive and in hiding in the final scene.

This season sees the main antagonist role return to Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Matt again dons the homemade black costume, and continues his vigilante ways. Why he has not reached out to his friends Foggy and Karen will probably have to wait until the season drops on October 19th.

As to who this imposter Daredevil is, Netflix may have spilled the beans. Actor Wilson Bethel has been confirmed to play Benjamin Poindexter, aka Bullseye. Smart money would seem to point to Bullseye making his Netflix debut impersonating The Man Without Fear.  Colin Farrell had previously played Bullseye in the 2003 feature film that starred current Batman Ben Affleck in the title role.

What did you think of the trailer? Are you excited to see another take on Daredevil vs. Bullseye?

Leaked Photo Spoils Future Of Captain America For Avengers 4?

A few photos have leaked from the set of the yet to be titled fourth Avengers film. The movie will of course be released in 2019 as a direct follow up to Avengers: Infinity War. If you’ve seen that film (and if you haven’t, why are you reading this?) you know that half the universe’s population is willed out of existence by Thanos.

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and many of the other major players made the survive list, while Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Nick Fury weren’t so fortunate.

Cavill leaving Superman? RIP Burt Reynolds

There are only two main subject in this episode of Geekville Radio, but they are real doozies. Seth and Crazy Train are joined by fellow Superman and Burt Reynolds fan David McKinney of South Atlanta Wrestling. The three talk the recent news about the potential departure of Henry Cavill from the DC Movie Universe as Superman, and the recent passing of Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds.

CAVILL NO LONGER SUPERMAN?

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Henry Cavill may indeed be leaving the role of Superman. Reports indicate that the hold up stems from negotiations to cameo in Shazam. Cavill had recently signed to appear in the Netflix series The Witcher, and sources told THR that scheduling would not permit Cavill from making an appearance in the film.

Another source, according to the report, stated the fallout may have happened due to a change in direction by Warner Bros.

“That’s because the studio has shifted its focus to a Supergirl movie, which will be an origin story featuring a teen superheroine. This effectively removes an actor of Cavill’s age from the storyline’s equation given that Superman, aka Kal-El, would be an infant, according to DC lore.”

Warner Bros. released a statement

“We have a great relationship and great respect for Henry Cavill that continues to remain unchanged. Additionally we have made no current decisions regarding any upcoming Superman films.”

Cavill has only responded with a video clip released to social media where he holds a Superman action figure.

All three panelists hold out hope that Cavill will appear in at least one more film before leaving, if he’s leaving at all.

BURT REYNOLDS (1936-2018)

Burt Reynolds passed away last week at the age of 82. Contrary to earlier claims, Reynolds was actually born in Michigan, not Waycross Georgia. Which means the icon of so many Southern flavored movies wasn’t actually Southern.

Seth, Train, and David all pay tribute and share memories from their favorite Burt Reynolds movies. Deliverance was a breakthrough leading man role, but it was his light-hearted car chase action comedies (Smokey & The Bandit, Cannonball Run) that became his signature genre in the 1970s. In the 80s he made more mature dramas and thrillers, such as Sharky’s Machine and Stick.

David talks about a story involving a young Reynolds and Clint Eastwood leaving their respective TV Western roles (Gunsmoke and Rawhide). Seth mentions a movie originally written for Reynolds that wound up going to Eastwood.

So, at the end of this episode, the panelists officially induct Burt Reynolds into Geekville Radio’s Honorary Southerners

This Week In Geek News September 3, 2018

In the latest chapter in the ongoing controversy for Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, the movie is reported to be on hold after Disney made the decision to not reinstate director James Gunn. Dave Bautista has stated that he isn’t sure he wants to return.

“They’re putting the movie off. It’s on hold indefinitely. To be honest with you, I don’t know if I want to work for Disney.”

Meanwhile, Gunn has reportedly been approached by several other studios for projects.

Warner Bros. is making not one, not two, but at least three movies involving The Joker.

1. Suicide Squad 2 has been announced for some time, but no release date, writer, or director have been revealed. Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, and Will Smith are all slated to return.

2. Also part of the DC Movie Universe will be an as of yet untitled Joker/Harley movie that would further explore the relationship between Joker and Harley Quinn. Leto and Robbie would likely return for that film that has been described as “When Harry Met Sally On Benzedrine”.

On top of that, an untitled Joker origin movie with Joaquin Phoenix and produced by Martin Scorsese. Set for an October 9th, 2019 release with a budget of $55 million dollars, it will be unrelated to any of the previous DC movie incarnations. Todd Phillips of The Hangover fame is set to direct. Alec Baldwin had been announced as Thomas Wayne, but reportedly backed out a few days later. Will this confuse fans like it did when Rogue One was released?

Also on the docket, a possible Birds Of Prey movie. Margot Robbie has reportedly expressed desire to portray Harley in her own standalone film. Birds Of Prey has been a title for DC that involved an all-female cast in various incarnations over the years. Harley has been part of the group in the comics since her turn as a more anti-hero type character. Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs) is set to direct off a Christina Hodson (Bumblebee) story. It is yet to be announced whether the film will feature Leto as Joker.

As mentioned during the show, Vin Diesel has quite the affinity for Dungeons And Dragons.

All this and more in another fun filled Geekville Radio!

The Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame Trailer

We are thrilled to announce the latest channel in the Geekville Radio spectrum, The Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame!

What is this “Lesser Known” Hall Of Fame? Isn’t “Lesser Known” and “Hall Of Fame” an oxymoron?

First off, google that word “oxymoron” if you don’t know what it means

Secondly, yes it may seem that way at first. But we here at Geekville Radio have started this new podcast to pay tribute to some of the lesser known characters with whom the history of Good vs. Evil might not be complete without.

Simply put, we won’t be talking much in the way of A-Listers such as Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Darth Vader, or the like. We will talk characters who were trailblazers in their genre, and who may have influenced the creation of A-List characters like the ones mentioned above.

Don’t know who The Shadow is? Or maybe The Phantom? Or maybe you have and would like to know more? Well, that’s where The Lesser Known Geek Hall Of Fame comes in. The inspirational heroes (and yes, villains too) who could be mentioned in the same breath as some of the household names.

Coming Soon, the first episode of TLKGHOF which will focus on the character and creation of one of the earliest, if not THE earliest, pulp magazine heroes: The Shadow!

Disney/Fox Merger, San Diego Comic-Con Panels

One of the biggest stories in all of geekery finished another chapter. The merger of Disney with 20th Century Fox properties has been approved by stockholders. This brings us another step closer to Disney having control of Fox material. This has obvious effects on two major properties

Marvel

  • How would this affect the MCU?
  • Could we get Hugh Jackman back?
  • What could be airing on the upcoming Disney streaming service?

Star Wars

  • Will we get a Disney produced box set?
  • What about the 3D releases?
  • Will we finally get the original Unaltered Trilogy?

In other Star Wars news, Lucasfilm has officially announced that Carrie Fisher will be appearing in Episode IX via unused footage from The Force Awakens. Plus, two more names have been announced in Richard E Grant and Naomi Acke.

And of course, Episode IX looks to be the final Star Wars movie in the Skywalker saga. Does this mean the end of the “Episode Format”?

AMC has reinstated Chris Hardwick as the host of Talking Dead, after being suspended last month. Plus, Disney has fired director James Gunn from Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3.

The second half of the show is devoted to panels from San Diego Comic-Con. Mainly the Arrowverse shows, but there’s a little bit of Wonder Woman and Shazam talk. The panels are linked below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpAaaZx4Ycw

Shazam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SCphPyHpL4

Aquaman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqiJ0TKF1vc

Wonder Woman

Arrow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkDZ_kgUih4

The Flash

Supergirl

Legends of Tomorrow

Are there any panels that interested you at San Diego Comic-Con? Sound off below!

This Week In Geek News 7/20

First off, BREAKING NEWS that Disney has revived Star Wars The Clone Wars for new episodes. The teaser was unveiled at San Diego Comic Con, check it out here.

Seth starts the show solo to express his delight at the show getting a proper revival. Could this be a lead in to Revenge Of The Sith?

Crazy Train joins for the rest of the show to talk the news that Billy Dee Williams is indeed reprising the role of Lando Calrissian for Star Wars Episode IX.  Could Seth and Train be any happier about this? Hint: No.

In other Star Wars news, the long rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi movie may start filming in April 2019. An article from a Belfast Ireland publication states that Ewan McGregor will return as Obi-Wan for the yet unnamed spin-off. Seth raises some questions as to why Ireland was chosen to make an Obi-Wan movie.

In Marvel MCU news, the Black Widow movie has taken a major step towards getting made with the news that Australian filmmaker Cate Shoreland will be directing the film. Could this be an origin story? Or something current?

In the last segment of the show, Seth and Train pay tribute to the late great Steve Ditko, who passed away last week at the age of 90. Ditko had a hand in creating one of the greatest rogue’s galleries of any superhero.

As an added bonus, Crazy Train made this Spotify Playlist with the theme of US Geography. Probably one of the only playlists you’ll find with Broadway Musical songs, Country Music, and Hip-Hop Rap.

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google PodcastsStitcher, and on the web. Subscribe and give us a review! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Find Crazy Train on Twitter

All this and more in another fun-filled Geekville Radio! Let us know what you think. Sound off below!

Long Rumored Black Widow Movie Lands Director

Since her first appearance for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Iron Man 2, Black Widow has been rumored to get her own movie. Well, nearly 10 years later, that movie now has a major component added to becoming a reality.

The Hollywood Reporter has published that Australia’s Cate Shoreland has nabbed the coveted directing duties for the film. The yet unnamed spin-off will take place before the events of previous MCU movies, and will presumably tell the story of Natasha Romanov’s journey from Russian spy to Avenger.

No release date is announced yet, and no other actors have been revealed other than Scarlett Johansson.

Ant-Man And The Wasp Review, Plus News

The latest Marvel MCU movie is here with Ant-Man And The Wasp. Seth and Crazy Train give a near 60 minute discussion (including SPOILERS) about the film, and where it fits in the Infinity War story. The review begins at about 25:30.

The first part of the show talks news, including the rumor that Keri Russell may be joining the cast of Star Wars Episode IX. What kind of part will she be playing? Somebody is going to be Rey’s parents sooner or later…

In the Marvel world, Kevin Feige has announced that there will be three Marvel MCU movies per year from now on.

It’s one of the reasons we’ve expanded to three films a year, is so that we could do the sequels to films that people have responded to — because we love to make continuing stories with characters people have responded to — but also keep doing the stuff that nobody’s ever heard of, and people go, ‘Why are you doing that?’ That’s fun.

News has also broken that in the next MCU Movie, Captain Marvel, Samuel L Jackson will be digitally de-aged for the entire movie.

All this and more in another fun-filled edition of Geekville Radio!

As an added bonus, Crazy Train made this Outlaw Country Spotify Playlist.

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