Wayne Enterprises Leaves Gotham, Relocates To Burbank...

Looks like Batman will be looking for a new Batcave...

It isn't too surprising with almost every other part of DC Entertainment in California along with Suit/Creatives Geoff Johns and Jim Lee already West Coast planted.  For those that haven't heard or didn't care, DC Comics has announced it is moving out of New York City.  Burbank, California will be the new home of the famed comic company.  This also happens to be the home of the company's owner, Warner Bros.

The plan is a gradual one which won't be completed until 2015.  We don't know how creative decisions will be affected by hue change.  Will Superman tanning himself in Malibu make him less likely to travel around saving lives?  Inquiring minds want to know!

Here's the internal e-mail that DC Comics suits sent out to their employees explaining the decision:

Dear DCE Team,

As I hope you know, I and the entire DCE exec team work hard to offer transparency about as much of our business plans and results as we possibly and responsibly can.  In an effort to continue to do that where possible and to ensure you are hearing news from us, rather than a third party, I am proactively reaching out to you this afternoon to share news about our business.

I can confirm that plans are in the works to centralize DCE’s operations in 2015.  Next week, the Exec Team will be in New York for a series of meetings to walk everyone through the plans to relocate the New York operations to Burbank.  The move is not imminent and we will have more than a year to work with the entire company on a smooth transition for all of us, personally and professionally. 

Everyone on the New York staff will be offered an opportunity to join their Burbank colleagues and those details will be shared with you individually, comprehensively and thoughtfully next week.  Meeting notifications will be sent tomorrow to ensure the roll out of this information and how it affects the company and you personally.

We know this will be a big change for people and we will work diligently to make this as smooth and seamless a transition as possible. 

Best,

Diane

I'm wondering where Bruce Wayne's new West Coast digs are...

Multiple Solos...

Yes, if it wasn't for rumors we would have no news at all...

Well, that's not entirely true.  We did have the announcement last week that Michael Arndt was moving on from his work on Star Wars and J.J. Abrams and OT scribe Lawrence Kasdan would do the heavy lifting the rest of the journey.  Now comes an interesting rumor about a certain space smuggler.

Jedi News is reporting that the deal to have Han Solo in the Sequel Trilogy has been finalized.  And by that, it would include more than just "Episode VII".  So the stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder could wind up being seen in the entire trilogy.  At least he'll be seen in "EpisodeVII" and "Episode VIII" if the rumors are to be believed.

From the Bothans I've talked to say that Ford was looking for finality to his character.  The resolution the actor wanted in "Return of the Jedi" appears to have been the price for his signing on.  Those of you that don't know what I'm talking about can simply Google it.  That said, I would have thought it only requires one film.  I guess they want to stretch the character out over a longer period.  Could this be the reason for Abrams and Kasdan's taking control of the current/final drafts?

It was also noted that the actor wanted a guarantee of "Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Platinum Wheelchair".  The article says he didn't achieve that.  This doesn't mean I'm against another Man in Hat film, it just means after the last adventure I'm a little worried about seeing an aging archeologists and his unconvincing spawn of a Mutt.  How about a prequel to Crystal Skull so as to not have to deal with that?

But I'm looking forward to seeing the Millenium Falcon's owner again...

"NO"ing Your Enemy...

After five episodes of "Agents of Shield" it's time to start figuring out who the threat is…

The ultra, super-secret, global espionage organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. has many missions and many threats, but who is the nemesis of the new television series?  When the series began it was thought that the hactivist organization known as "The Rising Tide" would develop into the primary threat, but that has not happened.  Tide has turned out to be, so far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe equivalent of Greenpeace/Anonymous.  Essentially a group with an agenda, but not a worldwide threat to freedom.

So who is that threat?

Who is the group that is researching the Extremis Serum? Who is the one distrubuting the Centipede device; with shadowed individuals searching for a way to create more super soldiers.  Could this be a newly active A.I.M. under mysterious leadership after the death of Aldrich Killian?  Might possibly the Mandarin actually have been the real leader of A.I.M.?  Was he a brilliant deception, not only playing the "out of work actor "Trevor Slattery", but actually playing the actor playing the actor?  In which case the Ten Rings would/could possibly be the organization behind Advance Idea Mechanics.

We all know that the show AOS operates in the Marvel Cinematic Uuniverse. And we also know that Sir Ben Kingsley has filmed a secret project for Marvel, possibly one of their One Shot films.  Were he to be revealed to actually have been the Mandarin then that would open up opportunities for the organization in the television show. Either A.I.M. or the 10 rings could wind up being an organization if the upcoming short/project that Kingsley filmed reveals this aspect.  Just a unlikely possibility, but an interesting one.

Then there is the other possibility.

Could the organization behind all this be Shields ultimate threat: HYDRA?  Let's face it, in the world of pop-culture G.I. Joe has Cobra to contend with, and in the Marvel universe Shield has Hydra as it's foil.  Could the organization behind all this, and much of the activity in Ironman 3 actually be Hydra?  It may have been working behind the scenes all these years without the world knowing it.   Having failed at taking World War II from the Allies and the Axis, perhaps it sought a more stealth route to power?

If it's tentacles have been working silently to strangle the world could we see one of its many leaders surface in the series?  Will we see, say Baron Zemo, Commander Kraken or Madame Hydra show up on the show, or are they reserved for the films, presuming Hydra shows up within the present day MCU.  Will then they be based on Hydra Island ?  All manner of comic geekiness would then explode.

If not these groups what about a variation of Zodiac?  They've already played a role in Shield's past in the Marvel One Shot: "Agent Carter".  Perhaps a strain of the organization survived into the modern world?  Another group to not rule out would be the Masters of Evil as they are an Avenger villain group.  If they're an enemy of Earth's Mightiest Heroes then they could be an enemy of the Agents of Shield.

There are several great organizations that can't be used unfortunately.

Disney may own Marvel, but the comic company licensed out their rights to several properties that prevent the Marvel Studios films/television shows from using them.  Anything related to Spider-Man, X-Men or the Fantastic Four are off base.  No mutants.  So the chance of seeing the Hellfire Club are nil.  With the Web Head out to Sony there would be no sightings of the Sinister Six.  Without Reed Richards and his associates no Galactus and no Victor Von Doom.

Or does Agent Coulson and his crew have another, unknown force to reckon with?  One not seen in the comics?  I would doubt this simply because there are so many villains and threats in Marvel's catalog to be used without having to create entirely new ones.  The opportunities are there waiting to be opened.  Of course, this is all speculation and could turn out to be fanboy ravings.

At least that's what Hydra told me to say...

A Few Months Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away...

So the earth shattering news is that "Episode VII" moves quietly forward...

It appears that after almost a year working on the next Star Wars, Michael Arndt is stepping away.  J.J. Abrams and veteran Lucas collaborator, Lawrence Kasdan are taking over screenwriting duties.  Some will take this as a sign of doom while I take it as just building on what has already been constructed.  Remember that Leigh Brackett's script was tossed out and Kasdan was brought in to fashion the best chapter of the series.  That is another reason I'm not worried.  This man wrote "The Empire Strikes Back" and the Greatest Film of All Time.

Here's the official press release from the Mouse's Lucasfilm division:

MASTER FILMMAKING TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR STAR WARS: EPISODE VIIOctober 24, 2013

As Episode VII continues pre-production, Lawrence Kasdan and director J.J. Abrams have assumed screenwriting duties for the film. Kasdan, who has been serving as a consultant on the film, is a veteran of several classic Lucasfilm productions, writing the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark and serving as co-screenwriter for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Acclaimed director and screenwriter Abrams’ credits include Super 8, Mission: Impossible III, Fringe, and Lost. 

“I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script,” states Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a Star Wars story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right. Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production.”

Location scouting, production design, casting, and costume design are already underway on Episode VII. A team of gifted artists are working to bring the latest installment of the Star Wars saga, including director of photography Dan Mindel (Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness), production designers Rick Carter (Lincoln, Avatar, Forrest Gump) and Darren Gilford (Oblivion, TRON: Legacy), costume designer Michael Kaplan (Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Fight Club),special effects supervisor Chris Corbould (Skyfall,The Dark Knight Rises, Inception), sound designer Ben Burtt (Lincoln, Wall-E, Star Wars: Episodes I-VI), re-recording mixer Gary Rydstrom (Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Toy Story, Mission: Impossible -Ghost Protocol), supervising sound editor Matthew Wood (Star Trek Into Darkness, The Master, There Will Be Blood) of Skywalker Sound, and visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett (Star Trek Into Darkness, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith) of Industrial Light & Magic. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Ryan, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin,War of the Worlds) serving as executive producers. John Williams is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII. 

Shooting is scheduled to begin Spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios for an expected 2015 release.

Of course, this delay could mean the release date will change to the holidays meaning that light sabers will likely battle big blue smurfs (possibly Episode VIII at least).  Which doesn't bother me at all.  I care that that get the story right.  If it's December instead of May, I'm happy with that.

It'll be a really wonderful Christmas gift...

Third Model Of Popular Automobile...

It appears someone has let out the secret that the Lamp has "Cars 3" in development...

Really?  This is shocking news?  You weren't thinking that all those  "untitled" films would remain that way forever, we're you?  Now, it's not an official release confirming the film.  It is a statement from the Sheriff, and you need to respect the law officials here at Blue Sky (and Radiator Springs).

The news comes courtesy of an interview with Michael Wallis, a historian who also happens to be the voice of the police car in the two Cars films.  It's doubtful we'll hear an official confirmation for a while.  It is apparently in the early stages, and we don't know if John Lasseter will be back as director or will simply guide the film as producer when they take the cars out for a spin.

The Lamp has a mixture of films in development right now.  No, from what I hear no "Incredibles 2" yet.  Brad Bird is a busy man, and it will all have to come with his approval.  Even if his ideas are ready to be put in development it doesn't mean he will be director, but it will require his blessing.  Each Pixar film is filled with so many layers I look forward to whatever they want to show me .

If Pixar has a car show, I'm there...

Origin Of Species...

To lose your parents would truly be a tragedy of unfathomable comprehensions...

Pain and the adversity of dealing with it are something we are drawn to as humanity.  All good drama in life is conflict.  Happy go along to get along makes for boring stories.  This might be one (of many) reason why we are drawn not only to Batman, but his origin as well.

Which explains why the new game; the third game in the Arkham Series, deals with a young Bruce Wayne dealing with the repercussions of a life left off.  A childhood interrupted.  A dark hero being born.  And with the game's release very soon(October 25) we have a new trailer to show us the birth of the Batman.

A very violent birth it is...

Playing With Imaginary Friends While Growing Up...

I am a HUGE fan of the "Calvin & Hobbes" strip...

I have the entire collection(and will eventually get the Ultimate Collection) and frequently turn the pages to reflect on life as an adult.  It is an example of the sardonic genius that ink and paper can have.  Bill Watterson is a hermit who happens to be a brilliant storyteller.

And for what seems like forever I've wanted to see an animated film of this high spirited little fella and his vivid imagination.  I never thought I would get it knowing how Watterson was against marketing his creation outside of the newspaper pages.  It's not like he needs the money (he 's worth a reported $300 million just from the comic strip).  He's rejected offers since C&H was in syndication , which is why no child has been able to fall asleep with their very own, plush Hobbes to protect them.

The artist/author is notoriously recluse and has done less interviews than you could count on one hand.  Surprisingly, he has agreed to an interview with Mental Floss Magazine in which he talks candidly about his work, ripoffs and the possibility of a film of his famous creation.  He doesn't outright say no, but he makes it clear he doesn't believe there will ever be a film of his definitive work.

But isn't that what P.L. Travers said about her famous work, "Mary Poppins"?  She was stern, absolutely adamant  in her desire to not let Walt Disney make a film of her best selling book.

And yet it got made...

Hat Tip to /Film.