Remembering Rutger Hauer (1944-2019)

Iconic actor Rutger Hauer passed away this week at the age of 75. His 50 year career saw him play a multitude of roles. From hero to villain, action to drama, and just about everything in between.

If you’re looking to watch some of his famous roles, we have assembled a list of them here. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it is a good lineup of performances in several genres.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4gN0nWL6NI

Nighthawks (1981) – Arguably his breakout performance as the villainous Wulfgar opposite detectives played by Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams.

Blade Runner (1982) – The role he will likely be remembered most for, Roy Batty was the rebellious replicant hunted by Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).

Ladyhawke (1985) – This medieval fantasy cult favorite saw Hauer play the heroic Navarre alongside then up and coming actors Matthew Broderick and Michelle Pfeiffer

The Hitcher (1986) – Another signature villain role as John Ryder, the serial killer who terrorizes C. Thomas Howell.

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

Wanted Dead Or Alive (1986) – Inspired by the 1950s Western that starred Steve McQueen (yes, that Steve McQueen). Hauer plays a bounty hunter tracking down a terrorist played by Gene Simmons (yes, THAT Gene Simmons).

Escape From Sobibor (1986) – 1986 was a busy year. Not only was he a villain in The Hitcher, and a hero in Wanted Dead or Alive, but his performance as Alexander “Sasha” Pechersky in this WWII drama earned him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) – The original Kristy Swanson movie that begat the series had Rutger as the vampire leader, Lothos.

Merlin (1998) – This spin on the classic tale of King Arthur tells the story from Merlin’s point of view. Hauer portrays the tyrannical King Vortigern opposite Sam Neill’s title character.

The 10th Kingdom (2000) – A fairy tale fantasy mini-series that is set years after the time of Snow White. Hauer is the Queen’s Huntsman who follows the heroes through the magic mirror and into New York City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4e24m-LYl4

Salem’s Lot (2004) – Hauer takes on another vampire role. This time as Kurt Barlow, one of the main antagonists in this remake of the Stephen King classic.

Sin City (2005) – The star-studded ensemble cast saw Hauer in the small but memorable role as Cardinal Rourke.

Batman Begins (2005) – The first in Christopher Nolan’s epic trilogy, Batman Begins had Rutger play Earle, the man who tried to usurp Wayne Enterprises from Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne.

Hobo With a Shotgun (2011) – Hauer reprises the title role he had in the mock trailer of the same name in Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse.

The Rite (2011) – Hauer plays the father of Colin O’Donoghue’s protagonist in this supernatural thriller that also stars Anthony Hopkins

Dracula 3D (2012) – From vampire to a vampire hunter. Hauer plays Van Helsing in Dario Argento’s take on the legendary vampire story.

In addition, Hauer was a fan-favorite to play Magneto in a then dream X-Men film. Wizard magazine published a fanboy casting in 1992, approximately eight years before an X-Men film became a reality.

To be fair, Wizard did accurately pick Patrick Stewart to play Charles Xavier in the same casting.

He also had the honor of being voted Dutch Actor Of The Century by Dutch citizens.

Fortunately for his fans, Hauer had several parts which he had already filmed for movies and shows that have yet to be released. His IMDB page shows five projects currently still set for release within the coming year.

We at Geekville Radio extend are deepest condolences to Rutger Hauer’s family and friends.

San Diego Comic-Con Trailers

One of the many fun things with San Diego Comic-Con is the plethora of trailers released. While the days of exclusive trailers are mostly gone, it’s still a big marketing day for the entertainment industry.

Here are several of the trailers that premiered over the weekend.

Netflix’s The Witcher starring Henry Cavill
HBO’s Watchmen, inspired by the classic comic book miniseries
A sizzle reel for Arrow gives a glimpse of Season Eight

The Flash Season 6

Flash Season 6 introduces the new villain Bloodwork
Top Gun: Maverick, the long-rumored sequel to the 1986 classic

Terminator: Dark Fate

Terminator: Dark Fate welcomes back Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor

Dark Crystal

Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance still uses puppetry like its predecessor
Jay & Silent Bob Reboot is a sequel to 2003’s Jay & Silen Bob Strike Back
Star Trek: Picard looks to be an absolute treasure to TNG fans

What were your favorite trailers from Sand Diego Comic-Con? Sound off below!

Big Finish’s 20th Anniversary Doctor Who Story: The Legacy Of Time

Big Finish celebrates 20 years of Doctor Who Stories

Big Finish is celebrating 20 years of original Doctor Who stories in the most “Doctor Whoish” way. Not only does The Legacy Of Time feature six (count ’em SIX) incarnations of the famous Time Lord, but it also has companions from both the old and new series. It’s a multi-generational mash-up that can only be done by Big Finish.

Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann all reprise their respective Doctors, while Tim Treloar replaces the late great Jon Pertwee. Some of the familar supporting characters include Ace, Leela, Jo Grant, Osgood, Kate Stewart, and of course River Song.

The six CD set (?!?!) is currently available, but is limited to 4,000 copies. An MP3 edition is available for immediate download. Both are available at Big Finish’s site.

Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack Mashup With Sound Of Silence

Last year, Vince DiCola played a special concert at Los Angeles’ famous Whisky-A-Go-Go. Naturally he performed a lot of music from his soundtracks for Rocky IV and Transformers: The Movie.

However, for one particular song, he mashed up the popular “Death Of Optimus Prime” music with the classic Simon & Garfunkel song “Sound Of Silence”. The result is a bit chilling… In a good way.

Vince Dicola and his band performing at Whiskey-A-Go-Go

Rambo V: Last Blood Trailer

John Rambo’s final story

No joke! There is another Rambo movie on the horizon. And it is called Rambo: Last Blood. That is of course a play on the original 1982 film First Blood.

Stallone co-wrote the story, which is said to be the final film in the series. Adrian Grunberg, whose only other directing credit is 2012’s Get The Gringo, will be helming the film. It will be released in September, and will likely carry the franchise’s usual “Hard R” rating.

Mark Hamill is Chucky in the Child’s Play Reboot

Star Wars icon Mark Hamill has added another high profile voice role to his resume. The actor made the announcement via a prerecorded appearance for WonderCon that he will be voicing Chucky in the theatrical Child’s Play reboot.

The announcement appeared on Hamill’s official Twitter shortly afterward.

Mark Hamill announced his new role to the fans at WonderCon

It is important to note that this theatrical reboot is not to be confused with the Syfy TV show Chucky. That series is run by the franchise’s original creator Don Mancini, and will remain in the continuity of the previous films. Veteran Chucky voice Brad Dourif will reprise the role for the series.

The reboot opens June 21st in theaters, and will be directed by Lars Klevberg from a story by Kung Fury‘s Tyler Burton Smith. The series will bow this fall on Syfy.

Initial trailer for the Child’s Play theatrical reboot

Hamill is currently appearing in season 2 of Knightfall on The History Channel, and is rumored to have a role in the next Guardians Of The Galaxy film for Disney.

C2E2 Report: Marvel’s War Of The Realms

At Friday’s C2E2 panel, Marvel announced the next epic story to span across the Marvel Universe will be called War Of The Realms. The proper series drops in April, and will consist of six issues. Like with most Marvel Universe tie-ins, multiple heroes will be affected in their own ongoing titles.

As the name implies, this involves Asgard and all the other realms in Marvel lore. Malekith The Accursed, the Dark Elf Lord, will be the main force behind these wars. All but one realm has felt the effects of these wars. The last one left untouched is, of course, Midgard aka Earth.

This means Asgardians, Frost Giants, Dark Elves, Light Elves, etc… will all be wreaking havoc on Earth, in it will be up to the Marvel heroes to deal with it. It also seems to be an attempt to make Malekith an “A-Lister” on the level of Loki, Dr. Doom, or Kang.

Marvel has pulled out all the stops with this tale, including releasing an official theme song for this comic event. It is linked below for listening

Squadron Supreme will be re-introduced and will be based out of Washington DC, making them “DC’s Finest Heroes” (ba-dump CHING!). Not to be outdone, fan favorite Phil Coulson will be a part of the war as well in the Avengers title.

War Of The Realms will be written by veteran Thor writer Jason Aaron. art will be by Russell Dauterman and Natthew Wilson. The first issue hits April 3rd and the series will run through the summer. Aaron did state that this will end his seven year run on Thor, and he will be part of a new (presumably ongoing) Valkyrie stand-alone title.

Overall, this is looking like another solid epic story from Marvel. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this becomes the basis for a future Thor film, should Chris Hemsworth stick around for Phase Four or Five.

Birth Of A Monster – A Star Wars Fanfilm

One of the many great things about living in the 21st Century is the plethora of fanfilms that get made, because the technology to make such a film is more readily available.

Birth Of A Monster is no exception. This short, but very well produced Star Wars fanfilm tells the background story of one of the most infamous creatures in the entire saga. Saying anything more would be a huge spoiler…

This very well may set a new standard in making fanfilms

And there you have it. Ardent fans may even catch some inspiration from the original Ralph McQuarrie concept art. If you like this movie, please let the creators know! The company is called Escape Velocity Content so check them out!

Latest Avengers Endgame Trailer Brings A Case Of Supergoosebumps

Marvel unleashed the latest, and probably final, trailer for Avengers: Endgame. Several classic moments from all the characters’ past are recapped. Including Steve Rogers carrying Peggy Carter’s casket, Tony Stark falling for Pepper, and Clint Barton training his daughter archery. It’s a very emotional recap of the last decade in Marvel movies.

That of course brings us to the imminent final battle with Thanos. And new costumes…

The latest Avengers trailer really brings The Feels

Avengers: Endgame opens on April 26th and will wrap up Phase Three in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.