PLANET GEEK ROUNDUP
Let’s get this show on the road shall we? Regular posts covering things in greater depth will follow soon, but today I’m here with a roundup of a few matters that are looming large on the geek horizon.
WATCHMEN PICTURES ONLINE
The first batch of character photos from the forthcoming WATCHMEN feature film from director Zack Snyder (aka mr ‘300’) have gone online at the official Watchmen movie site from Warner Bros. Pictures of Rorscharch, Night Owl, Silver Spectre, Ozymandias and The Comedian have been posted, and they are looking fantastic. Of course, they don’t look 100% like their original comic book counterparts, but they do capture the magic (and in Rorscharch’s case, the madness) of each character. While some people are still sceptical as to whether a WATCHMEN movie will work that well, all of us here at Starstore are looking forward to this film with bated breath.
There really hasn’t been another comic book story that has captured the imagination of so many fans right across the board in a very long time. What else there that has caused such a stir? The Killing Joke, perhaps, or Crisis on Infinite Earths, or, oh, I dunno, nothing else seems to have that much weight when trying to find something to compare to Watchmen. Okay, V for Vendetta. Yeah. Hmm, I see a pattern forming already. The fact that something as utterly cerebral and complicated as Watchmen would even be considered for production as a feature film is a strong sign of the changes in opinion regarding comic books and their contents. Granted, the industry is still seen as massively geeky, and rightfully so, but there is a shift in perception out there. The public at large are being awakened to the fact that these funny pages full of costumed do-gooders aren’t nearly as simple as they thought they were. If you haven’t read it yet, you can get hold of the graphic novel right here.
The universe of Watchmen is dense, harrowing and incredibly powerful, and at the heart of it is a set of characters that have real emotions and motivations. The movie looks as though it has captured at least some of that magic. Here’s hoping it will be as wonderful as it sounds. Roll on the first trailer!
SAW V AND VI
The sequel factory that is the SAW franchise will continue unabated, despite the lack of its original villain! The next two instalments in the horror behemoth have been announced and SAW 5 is said to be featuring Scott Patterson as agent Strahm again, but nobody will say whether or not he will return for the sixth film, which raises the question as to whether he will survive the fifth. Hopefully these two films will round off the franchise nicely before it loses its fanbase. The audience is still very much there for it, but beyond six films, won’t fans be tiring of the formula somewhat?
REMAKES GALORE
Platinum Dunes don’t like thinking of original ideas much, do they? On the upside, it looks as though their slate of forthcoming horror remakes are going to be of a high quality. Hurtling towards us are remakes of FRIDAY THE 13TH,
On a sombre final note, there is this:
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS CO-CREATOR PASSES AWAY
One very sad piece of news that has filtered through in the past couple of days surrounds the passing of Mr Gary Gygax, the man who, alongside Dave Arneson, created the legendary Dungeons and Dragons gaming system back in 1974, and changed the face of popular culture. Adored by millions across the world since its first release, D&D changed gaming, and fans’ lives, forever. He passed away after a period of ill health that had lasted several years, but his legacy of intelligent, thrilling gameplay lives on. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. Rest assured his memory will live on for many years to come. Rest in Peace.