‘Scanners’ TV Series A Possibility?

The once-proposed theatrical remake of David Cronenberg‘s Scanners is evidently turning into a TV show. The 1981 film most famous for its exploding head opening (and less famous for Stephen Lack’s toneless but oddly appropriate performance) has already spawned a couple of shoddy sequels. So this isn’t quite the unwelcome spin-off that, for instance, a sequel to Videodrome might be.

In fact, Scanners is the sort of story that could very easily support an extended TV narrative. It posits a society in which one company has developed a drug which, given to pregnant women, will bring out the psychic power inherent in their children. The powerful adult ‘scanners’ are broken into factions working with and against the company, which is enough of a beginning for a show. Get more details about the plan after the break. 

Deadline has the news, saying that Dimension Films is developing the series now, with Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes) as exec producer and a possible pilot director. We don’t have much more info than that at this point. Since Mr. Aja is better with gore than character, I’m not sure what his involvement might mean for the series, but he isn’t the name that I’d think of first; leave it at that.

If this goes forward, it would be the second TV series spun off from one of David Cronenberg’s films. The Dead Zone, which aired from ’02 to ’07, spun off from his 1983 film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel.

And while we’re on the topic of Scanners, Netflix users might take a moment to check out Brian De Palma’s The Fury, which is now streaming. It is a definite precursor to Scanners, and actually features an explosive scene that is far more extreme than Cronenberg’s, if less powerful in the context of the story.

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Marvel Digital Comics – Free Mondays (7/25/2011)

Welcome to FREE Mondays! Each week we focus on all of the newly digitized  books you can read for FREE inside the greatest collection of Marvel comics  available online: Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited! Plus, we’ll let you know  what’s coming up next week for FREE, too! With each book, not only are you  getting a free peek inside Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, but each free  Digital Comic either gives you a look at a book featured in a recent collection  or a comic that’s in stores now.

How  would you like to have five free digital comics to help get you through the  school and work week? Here ya go!
DAREDEVIL BLACK AND WHITE (2010) #1
AVENGERS AND THE INFINITY GAUNTLET (2010) #1
NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT (2010) #1
MARVEL UNIVERSE VS. THE PUNISHER (2010) #1
SPITFIRE (2010) #1

Find out what next week’s five  free digital comics will be below!*
SHADOWLAND: BLOOD ON THE STREETS (2010)  #1
SHADOWLAND: BULLSEYE (2010) #1
SHADOWLAND: DAUGHTERS OF THE SHADOW  (2010) #1
SHADOWLAND: MOON KNIGHT (2010) #1
SHADOWLAND: POWER MAN (2010)  #1

*All scheduled issues subject to change.

 

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/news/story/16345/free_mondays_72511#ixzz1TFvUEpez

 

‘A Game of Thrones: The Board Game’ 2nd Edition

Fantasy Flight Games has announced a Second Edition of its A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (MSRP $59.95). Each of the 3-6 players the game accommodates has control of one of the great houses of Westeros in this epic struggle for control of the Iron Throne that is based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Fire and Ice fantasy novels, which are currently being adapted for television in the extremely popular HBO series Game of Thrones. FFG will debut the Second Edition at Gen Con, and release it during the fourth quarter.

The timing could hardly be better. Dynamite and Bantam are launching their comic book/graphic novel adaptation of Game of Thrones in the fall, and given the tremendous impact of the HBO series, Q4 should be the perfect time to debut a new edition of the game and take full advantage of traditionally strong holiday board game sales. Read more

R2-D2, C-3PO Inspired Star Wars-Themed Xbox

A limited edition, Star Wars-themed Xbox 360 will feature designs inspired by your favorite droids.

Microsoft and LucasArts unveiled a console bundle for the upcoming Kinect Star Wars game at a San Diego Comic-Con International panel on Thursday morning. The bundle will include an Xbox 360 console with a 320 GB hard drive, the Kinect sensor and the motion-controlled Star Wars game. It will also include the Kinect Adventures game that is currently bundled with the motion-sensing camera controller.

Set for release this holiday season, the bundle will cost $450, equivalent to the price of an Xbox 360 console, a Kinect and a game. Read more

BioShock: Rapture Novel Available Now

Just a quick reminder that the new novel, BioShock: Rapture, is now available from your bookseller of choice (well, maybe not all of them). Penned by sci-fi and fantasy author John Shirley, the book tells the story of Andrew Ryan and the beginnings of his underwater metropolis. If you would (kindly) like to add it to your collection, BioShock: Rapture is available in both paperback and hardcover.

In addition, Shirley will host a panel at Comic-Con this Friday. Entitled "Writing in Videogames," the panel begins at 10am in room 32AB. Shirley will also be on hand to sign copies of BioShock: Rapture at the Tor Books booth (#2707) from 12pm to 1pm.

Continue reading PSA: BioShock: Rapture novel surfaces at retail

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Captain America’s Chris Evans On His Sex Symbol Status

We got a chance to catch up with Captain America: The First Avenger star Chris Evans while promoting this Friday’s film release.  He got to talking about everything from his hesitation to take on such a huge role (he had to go to therapy for it!) to what it’s like working with the all-star cast of The Avengers, which is currently shooting.

We also got a very humble and slightly embarrassed Evans to talk about what it’s like to be a sex symbol.  His answer may surprise you!  Also, who would win in a fight between Captain America and Evans’ other superhero character the Human Torch?

Find out all that and much more below.

Getting straight down to very important business, Evans discusses who would win in a fight between his previous superhero character the Human Torch and Captain America, as well, as which one chicks would dig more:

“I don’t know. That’s a tough question. [laughs].I can’t say that! I have an allegiance to both of them,” he explains about the potential battle. But when it comes to the ladies, he says it really depends on what they’re into. “It depends.  Some girls like the bad boy [human torch] and some girls actually want a good man [Captain America].” Read more

‘Blood Bowl: Team Manager–The Card Game’

Fantasy Flight Games has slated the Blood Bowl: Team Manager—The Card Game (MSRP $34.95) for an October, 2011 release. Designed by Eric M. Lang and Cory Konieczka, the Blood Bowl: Team Manager—The Card Game is based on an old Games Workshop property. It’s a standalone game of frenzied deck-building action that takes 2-4 players through the cutthroat excitement of an entire Blood Bowl season in just about one-to two hours of playing time.

Some players rely on speed, others on size. Some will mercilessly injure their opponents, while others cheat like crazy to score touchdowns. The object is to build a formidable team and win the Blood Bowl championship.

Players take on the role of the coach of one of six factions from the Blood Bowl world Humans, Dwarfs, Wood Elves, Orcs, Skaven, or Chaos, and attempt to formulate the right style of play to fit the characteristics of their teams as they customize their decks in frenzied fits of deck-building in order to fight their way to the championship.

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Marvel Digital Comics – Free Mondays (7/18/2011)

Welcome to FREE Mondays! Each week we focus on all of the newly digitized  books you can read for FREE inside the greatest collection of Marvel comics  available online: Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited! Plus, we’ll let you know  what’s coming up next week for FREE, too! With each book, not only are you  getting a free peek inside Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, but each free  Digital Comic either gives you a look at a book featured in a recent collection  or a comic that’s in stores now.

How  would you like to have five free digital comics to help get you through the  school and work week? Here ya go!
UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #374
UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #375
X-MEN (2010) #2
STEVE ROGERS: SUPER-SOLDIER (2010) #1
CAPTAIN AMERICA: FOREVER ALLIES (2011) #1

Find out  what next week’s five free digital comics will be below!*
DAREDEVIL BLACK  AND WHITE (2010) #3
AVENGERS AND THE INFINITY GAUNTLET (2010) #1
NAMOR:  THE FIRST MUTANT (2010) #1
MARVEL UNIVERSE VS. THE PUNISHER (2010)  #1
SPITFIRE (2010) #1

*All scheduled issues subject to change.

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/news/story/16316/free_mondays_71811#ixzz1SX1dR0oe

Steam’s New Content Delivery System

Steam is cleaning the gunk out of its gears with a new content delivery system, upgrading its download rates and streamlining its publishing process. The new system boasts a larger aggregate bandwidth, meaning Steam will be able to more easily cater to large demands worldwide, and an HTTP delivery system.

Updates are getting tuned up in a big way — instead of re-downloading an entire file to install one update, the new system will only download the changes made to the file, because that’s what an update means. It will also be possible to update to a game while playing it.

Valve has written new tools for developers and publishers to simplify their behind-the-scenes processes and ship products faster, promising that publisher-side updates will also be streamlined, which is something EA in particular has been quietly vocal about changing.

The new system will be applied to "more and more" content over time, beginning "soon" with the release of Dota 2 later this year. You can try it out now by downloading an HD trailer from the Steam Store.

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‘The Hobbit’s’ Thorin Oakenshield Revealed

Warner Bros. has released an image of Richard Armitage as Thoren Oakenshield, who led a force of a dozen dwarves (and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins) on the Quest of Erebor. This completes the brave company of adventurers from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which is due to be released on December 14th, 2012.

The Oakenshield still was released to The One Ring.net and the Tolkien mavens there were raving about Thorin’s sword, Orcrist the Goblin-cleaver, which is prominently displayed in the photo, and it appears just the kind of weapon required in a vast and dangerous task such as reclaiming the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the Dragon.

For images of Thorin’s 12 dwarf companions see: “Balin and Dwalin: More Dwarves From the Hobbit” for Balin and Dwalin, “New Still Shows 3 Dwarves From The Hobbit” for Ori, Dori and Nori, “More Hobbit Dwarves” for Bombur, Bofur, Bifur, Kili, and Fili, and “Two More Hobbit Dwarves Revealed” for Oin and Gloin. For images of Bilbo and Gandolph see “Here’s What The Hobbit Will Look Like.”

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