LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga gameplay trailer revealed!

After announcing the title at last summer’s E3, Traveller’s Tales and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have unveiled a full gameplay trailer for the upcoming LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which is set to hit shelves sometime in early 2021! The trailer can be viewed in the player below!

RELATED: Marvel’s Avengers Open BETA Kicks Off This Weekend

The latest title in TT’s gaming franchise will see everything revamped from their early titles, with players being able to start from any of the nine Skywalker Saga episodes instead of chronological order, each episode featuring five missions for a total of 45 levels and combat being revamped so that lightsaber wielders will now have a variety of combos with light and heavy attacks and Force moves while blaster characters will have an over-the-shoulder camera akin to many third-person shooters.

In addition, the structure for the game’s hub will follow in the footsteps of the previous title, The Force Awakens, in which it will not be isolated to one areas but instead a wide range of fully explorable planets including Coruscant, Naboo, Tatooine, Geonosis, Kamino, Utapau, Kashyyk, Mustafar, Yavin 4, Hoth, Dagobah, Bespin, Endor, Jakku, Takodana, D’Qar, Starkiller Base, Ahch-To, Cantonica, Crait, Ajan Kloss, Pasaana, Kijimi, Kef Bir and Exegol.

Ships will also have freely explorable areas in the hub, such as Star Destroyers and the Death Star, and players can experience random encounters in the hub, such as an Imperial Star Destroyer jumping out of hyperspace and sending fleets of TIE fighters after the player, who can then engage in an optional dogfight.

RELATED: DC FanDome: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Game Brings the Heat

Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which will feature nearly 500 characters, is scheduled for a Spring 2021 release for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5 and Xbox One and Series X.

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Exclusive: Screenwriter Ed Solomon Talks His Involvement in X-Men

Tomorrow will be an interesting day for screenwriter Ed Solomon, as both Bill & Ted Face the Music and The New Mutants will be opening on the same day. Solomon and co-writer Chris Matheson created the Bill & Ted franchise over 30 years ago, and while he had no involvement with New Mutants he DID have a hand in writing the very first Fox X-Men movie in 2000. Now both franchises will be debuting their swan songs on the same day! A recent expose on X-Men‘s 20th anniversary had Solomon admit he and Christopher McQuarrie took their names off the film’s screenplay VOLUNTARILY, so during press for Bill & Ted ComingSoon.net asked the writer to clarify why he did that at the time.

“Well, Chris McQuarrie and I were originally given credit on the movie and we both believed David Hayter deserved credit as well,” Solomon told us. “Probably the appropriate credit would’ve been the three of us. I took my name off of it in an act of immature hubris because I had had an experience on ‘Super Mario Bros’ where I worked two weeks on it, and then another week or two on set. I was away when the arbitration happened. I didn’t deserve credit on that movie. I was seventh of nine writers. I was given credit probably because no one else wanted credit. And so, when ‘X-Men’ came along, I thought, I don’t want my name on a movie that I wasn’t the sole writer or at least the last writer on. Where I was making these choices. So I took my name off it. That was immature. It was self-indulgent, immature hubris. It was stupid on a business level and it was stupid on a creative level. It was just juvenile, but it taught me a lot. It taught me a lot about myself, and it actually changed my own relationship with my ego and with my work.”

Solomon also clarified what he specifically brought to the table for the first Bryan Singer entry in the mutant series, and it involves honing in on the characters’ abilities.

“In hindsight, was it stupid? Absolutely,” Solomon went on. “But what am I proud of? I got fired initially because I chose to write a superhero movie where their physical powers were external manifestations of their internal issues, and that they were written as real human beings. I’m still to this day really proud that I was the first person to do that.”

Fortunately the decision to abdicate his credit gave Solomon a different kind of spiritual benefit.

“I was an idiot for taking my name off it, not just financially, but it was just an immature act made by a young writer who needed to grow up,” Solomon admits. “It was just that there were other voices on it. I just thought it wasn’t appropriate. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was stupid. I am proud of it. I’m proud of having worked on it, I just feel… Look, how would my life be different had I not taken my name off it? Well, I’d have more money and I’d have that credit. But at the end of the day, would I be a happier person? No, because it forced me into a kind of self-analysis and retooling of my own inner experience of work that made me a healthier person and maybe a better person overall. So in hindsight, it probably wasn’t a bad decision, but only because I chose to turn it into something that would hopefully in the long run be healthier for me. If I were to do it all over again, of course, I wouldn’t take my name off it.”

RELATED: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure/Bogus Journey Retrospective Review

Be sure to check back on ComingSoon.net this week for more of our interview with Ed Solomon for Bill & Ted Face the Music, which you can pre-order now on Premium VOD!

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Disney recasts Raya and The Last Dragon with Kelly Marie Tran as new lead

In a historic move, Disney has chosen to recast the forthcoming animated adventure Raya and The Last Dragon with Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) now taking over the titular role and becoming the first Southeast Asian to lead a Disney animated film, according to Deadline.

RELATED: Disney Reveals Updated Release Schedule for Soul & Raya and The Last Dragon

Written by Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians) and Qui Nguyen and directed by Don Hall (Big Hero 6) and Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting), the film is set in the mysterious realm of Kumandra and centers on warrior Raya as she seeks for the last dragon before Druun an Evil Force Destroys the Realm.

The titular role was originally set to be voiced by Cassie Steele (Rick and Morty), but the filmmakers and studio have chosen to adjust their vision and bring Tran in as the lead star, joining the previously cast Awkwafina (The Farewell), who is starring as a dragon in human form named Sisu.

“As filmmakers, Don and Carlos bring a combination of animation know-how and emotional storytelling to Raya and the Last Dragon, bringing our fantasy adventure to surprising, original, and dynamic heights,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee said in a statement. “They both saw the potential for this film and had a strong vision for the story, especially for our lead character, played by the wonderfully talented Kelly Marie Tran. And no small feat, directors Don and Carlos, writers Qui and Adele, and the entire crew of 400 Disney Animation artists are making this film together, while separated and working from home.”

RELATED: Emmy Raver-Lampman Replacing Kristen Bell as Molly in Central Park

Raya and the Last Dragon, which is also being co-directed by Paul Briggs (Zootopia) and John Ripa, is set to hit theaters on March 12, 2021.

(Photo Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)

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Netflix unveils trailer & key art for The Babysitter: Killer Queen

After giving audiences an early look at the horror sequel with first-look photos earlier this month, Netflix has unveiled the first trailer and key art for The Babysitter: Killer Queen, which is set to debut on the streaming service next month. The trailer can be viewed in the player below!

RELATED: Netflix Unveils First-Look Images & Premiere for Babysitter Sequel

Written by Dan Lagana (American Vandal) and helmed by McG (Rim of the World) once again, the story picks up two years after defeating a satanic cult led by his babysitter Bee and see Cole trying to forget his past and focus on surviving high school. But when old enemies unexpectedly return, Cole will once again have to outsmart the forces of evil.

The cast for the sequel will once again include Judah Lewis (The Christmas Chronicles), Robbie Amell (Upload), Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect 3), Bella Thorne (Infamous), Emily Alyn Lind (Doctor Sleep), Andrew Bachelor (Coffee & Kareem), Ken Marino (The Sleepover), Leslie Bibb (Tag), Carl McDowell (Rim of the World) and Chris Wylde (When We First Met), with the addition of Jenna Ortega (Elena of Avalor).

RELATED: The Babysitter’s Original Cast Set to Return for Netflix Sequel

The Babysitter: Killer Queen is set to premiere on Netflix on September 10.

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Exclusive The 2nd Clip Featuring Ryan Phillippe & Casper Van Dien

ComingSoon.net has an exclusive clip from Momentum Pictures’ new action movie The 2nd, starring Ryan Phillippe (Crash, Gosford Park, Shooter) and Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers, Alita: Battle Angel, Sleepy Hollow). You can check out the clip now in the player below!

RELATED: Momentum Pictures’ The 2nd Trailer & Poster Starring Ryan Phillippe

Secret-service agent Vic Davis (Ryan Phillippe) is on his way to pick up his estranged son, Shawn (Jack Griffo), from his college campus when he finds himself in the middle of a high-stakes terrorist operation. The daughter of a Supreme Court Justice (Lexi Simonsen) is the target and this armed faction will stop at nothing to kidnap her Vic quickly realizes that there’s no one coming to rescue them and must now use his entire set of skills to save her and his son from an incredibly dangerous and lethal situation.

The movie also stars Jack Griffo (Alexa & Katie, The Thundermans, Those Left Behind), and Lexi Simonsen (Roller World, Satan’s Seven, Vegas High). The movie was directed by Brian Skiba (Dirty Little Trick) and written by Eric Bromberg (Enemies Closer) and Paul Taegel (Vandal).

RELATED: Exclusive The Walrus and The Whistleblower Trailer: Meet the Tiger King of Mammals

The 2nd will be available On Demand and on Digital September 1, 2020.

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Exclusive The Walrus and The Whistleblower Trailer: Meet the Tiger King of Marine Mammals

ComingSoon.net has the exclusive trailer for the upcoming documentary The Walrus and The Whistleblower produced and directed by Nathalie Bibeau and centering on Phil Demers, aka the “Walrus Whisperer.” You can check out the trailer now in the player below!

RELATED: The Argument Trailer Starring Dan Fogler, Maggie Q & Danny Pudi

The Walrus and The Whistleblower follows Niagara Falls-native Phil Demers, known as the ‘Walrus Whisperer.” Phil worked a decade-long dream-job as a trainer at MarineLand Park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, swimming with killer whales and training belugas, seals, and Smooshi, the walrus he raised and trained since arriving as a young pup. Phil then quit and blew the whistle citing animal abuse, and called for an end to the 60-year-old practice of keeping marine mammals in pools. Now Phil is being sued for 1.5 million dollars from the amusement park but nothing is stopping him from his mission to #SaveSmooshi.

Winning the Audience Award – the highest rated film with audiences – at this spring’s Hot Docs International Film Festival, qualifies The Walrus and the Whistleblower for consideration at the Oscars in the Documentary Feature category.

The Walrus and The Whistleblower was made in association with documentary Channel and CBC Docs.

RELATED: Gamemaster Trailer Plus Exclusive Clip From Board Game Documentary!

Northern Banner will release the film in Canada first at the end of this week with the documentary playing throughout September. Starting October 9, Gravitas Ventures will release the film in the U.S. with plans to play throughout the fall.

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Exclusive: Russell Crowe reflects on Gladiator’s 20th anniversary

While chatting with the Oscar-winning star for his latest thriller Unhinged, ComingSoon.net stepped back in time with Russell Crowe to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the multiple Oscar-winning historical drama Gladiator. Our interview can be viewed in the player below!

RELATED: CS Interview: Producer Douglas Wick Talks Gladiator 20th Anniversary

The original film, which hit theaters in 2000 and won five Oscars out of its 11 nominations and grossed over $457 million worldwide, followed Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe, The Nice Guys) who is betrayed by Commodus, the son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and framed for Aurelius’ murder by Commodus. Maximus is sent into a life of slavery and fights in the gladiator arena to avenge his slaughtered family and Aurelius.

Click here to purchase the Oscar-winning epic!

The first film ended with Maximus successfully killing Commodus, though also being mortally wounded during their fight and dying, joining his family in the afterlife and saving Commodus’ sister and son from her demented brother. The in-development sequel is set to follow the son, Lucius, following Maximus’ impression and exposure of Commodus’ corruption.

Gladiator was originally produced and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures in the United States and Universal Pictures internationally, but DreamWorks will no longer be involved for the sequel and Paramount Pictures will be producing and distributing the sequel with Universal having the option to co-finance the film.

RELATED: Sapiens: Ridley Scott, Asif Kapadia to Adapt Non-Fiction Book

Scott is well-known for his work on the Alien franchise, including the most recent installment Alien: Covenant, and most recently directed the 2017 crime thriller All the Money in the World based on the J. Paul Getty kidnapping. The 80-year-old director is currently working on the TNT sci-fi series Raised by Wolves, on which he will make his television directorial debut that will shoot in South Africa.

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CS Interview: Co-writer/director Josh Boone on The New Mutants

ComingSoon.net had the opportunity to chat with 20th Century Studios’ The New Mutants co-writer/director Josh Boone to discuss the long-awaited and long-delayed final installment in Fox’s X-Men franchise. The New Mutants is finally heading to theaters this week!

RELATED: The New Mutants TV Spots Highlight Main Cast’s Powers & Fears 

Even before the film began its extended stay in post-production hell, the project had a few early bumps in the road, including the early leak of the Demon Bear animatics in late 2016, and while Deadpool‘s leaked test footage helped Fox earn faith in Ryan Reynolds and co. to launch the beloved franchise, the same can’t be said for Boone, who had to work a little harder to convince the studio on his vision.

“It’s funny, the process of developing it took a long time, I made Fault in Our Stars for Fox, it did well, so I felt like I could go ask Fox for something else,” Boone recalled. “My best friend and I, who I’d grown up with in Virginia Beach, we grew up Marvel fans of the highest order, we kind of read everything we possibly could, I would always remember the Demon Bear story because Bill Sienkiewicz’s art was so distinct. I hadn’t seen anything like it in the comic book before. It was impressionistic. It was dark. It was moody. None of the characters wore super hero costumes. It was angsty, which was Chris Claremont’s forte, but not with art like this. You know? I mean, it was in a different level. I always thought Demon Bear would make a great movie of some sort. I had a stack of New Mutants comics in my apartment when I lived in LA 10 years before I made movies, I worked in a record store. But I held onto that story and I thought about that story, and when I had the opportunity, we made Fox a comic book, kind of pitching them what the movie would be, utilizing all of the art from the series that we loved. I never had a light bulb go off that was like, ‘You have to make a horror comic book movie.’ It was because the material was already that. It sort of organically just said, this is what I’m going to be. And I knew I wanted to merge it with sort of John Hughes and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that sort of like, I don’t know, like a deeper look at kids than a typical comic book movie typically would, and a comic book movie that actually stars kids as opposed to adults, which is most of them.”

Pick up a copy of the New Mutants Vol. 1 here!

One of the most important things to Boone when it came to Fault and New Mutants was to have original author John Green and artist Sienkiewicz on the sets and to “have them as involved as possible” so as to be “a vessel” for bringing their work to life on screen. That being said, Boone did also note that comic creator Chris Claremont was “not really” involved with the production, nor really talked with the 41-year-old filmmaker, but stated that Sienkiewicz would “keep Chris appraised of what was going on” and describing the artist’s involvement in the source material.

“I’ll get my own stuff in there and all that, but like, I’m really trying at the end of the day to capture something special about their work,” Boone explained. “So trying to keep that in there is sort of the trickiest and hardest part. Having them involved always helps. Bill was the best cheerleader. He read drafts of the script. Instead of doing an actual audio commentary for the Blu-ray or whatever, I did a career retrospective interview with him you can listen to over the movie. Bill was so creatively involved in this as much as Chris was in the Demon Bear story, he was really a co-creator/partner on it, when they did these issues. I think it’s the longest Bill’s ever stayed on a book, other than Moon Knight, maybe those two. So he jumps around a lot, but there was something special about this one, where there was a lot that he could do. We made the bible because nobody at the studio even knew what Mutants was. Truly. I mean, Simon of course knew, but he was dealing with all the X-Men stuff, so it’s like, he didn’t have any time to go and try to figure out the other X-Men properties, you know? I guess I would say this, we’re lucky because the things that we loved a lot when we were kids have now become popular. I guess is I would say, Stephen King has become as legit as they come. X-Men, New Mutants, Marvel. This was my childhood in the 80s, and back then it was frowned upon by everyone.”

While the constantly shifting release schedule may have proved somewhat frustrating for both fans, cast and Boone, the co-writer/director did find that this delay and acquisition by Disney allowed him to keep it as much in line with his original vision as possible, especially as they made it for “probably half the price that we really wanted” originally.

“The movie became what it is by doing that, which is always the process, the tension and friction are usually good and helped, and definitely, there were much more expensive problems for them to worry about than us,” Boone expressed. “We had a really great cast, an interesting story that had gone through a lot of evolutions during the screenwriting process from having Professor X and Storm in it, and Storm was very much the Alice Braga character, all the way to it being separated in time from those movies, you know? Interesting development, and any time you get involved with a corporation that owns a giant IP, this is what you will surely go through to some degree or another. I asked my agent once, I was like, ‘Is this supposed to be this, you know, this much?’ He’s like, ‘Dude, if you’re working on a Marvel movie or a comic book movie and you’re anything but miserable, I’d be worried about you.’ So I’d say I wasn’t miserable the whole time, but occasionally.”

When it came to getting the look and style of the film, Boone has pointed to multiple inspirations from the past, including Dream Warriors and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and in looking at the footage that continues to be teased leading up to release, he also points towards the 1990 cult classic Jacob’s Ladder as a point of inspiration and how he sought out the right cinematographer to bring that dark and moody look to the film.

“I went and got Peter Deming, who’s like the greatest cinematographer on the planet,” Boone brightly stated. “He did Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive, the last season of Twin Peaks. I just like, I did not want it to look like a comic book movie. I know comic book movies mostly build every set you see. Some of them are virtual, you know, we shot in all real places. We only built really two sets. We wanted it to look real, and because of that, we wanted the movie to feel grounded. So we spent a lot of time building character and dealing with reality of things on the way to getting to all of the big super heroics and Marvel type of stuff.”

RELATED: New Mutants Synopsis Confirms Magik’s X-Men Link!

20th Century Studios in association with Marvel Entertainment presents The New Mutants, an original horror thriller set in an isolated hospital where a group of young mutants is being held for psychiatric monitoring. When strange occurrences begin to take place, both their new mutant abilities and their friendships will be tested as they battle to try and make it out alive.

The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, The Witch) as Magik and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones, gen:LOCK) as Wolfsbane, with Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) as Sunspot, Blu Hunt as Dani Moonstar, and Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton as Cannonball.

The New Mutants adapts the monthly comic book series of the same name that launched in 1982. Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, The New Mutants follows on a group of teenage mutants as heroes in training in the Marvel Universe. The feature is expected to be a departure from the sci-fi-action spectacle of other X-Men films and is instead being described as a “Stephen King meets John Hughes”-style horror movie.

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Bill & Ted Reunite With Death in New Clip From Face the Music

Orion Pictures has released a new clip from Bill & Ted Face the Music featuring the dudes (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves) reuniting with their old friend and bandmate Death (William Sadler). Plus, you can now step into the world of Bill & Ted like never before with an all-new immersive 360 experience! Check out both videos now below and pre-order your copy of the movie here!

RELATED: Bill & Ted Meet An Emissary From the Future in a New Face the Music Clip

With Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant, Non-Heinous 360 Adventure Through Space and Time As We Know It, embark on a most excellent journey through the Circuits of Time to visit locations inspired by Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Bill & Ted Face the Music centers on Bill S. Preston (Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Reeves), who are now fathers and have yet to fulfill their rock ‘n’ roll destinies. Their lives change when they are visited by a messenger from the future who warns them that only their song can save life as we know it.

Click here to own Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure!

Click here to own Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey!

Joining Winter and Reeves are Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) and Brigette Lundy-Paine (Atypical) as Bill and Ted’s daughters, respectively. The film will also feature Anthony Carrigan (Barry), Jillian Bell (Workaholics), Kristen Schall (Toy Story 4), Holland Taylor (Gloria Bell), Kid Cudi, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, and Beck Bennet. William Sadler is also set to reprise his role as Death alongside franchise returners Amy Stoch and Hal London Jr. Newcomer.

RELATED: Be Excellent to Each Other With New Bill & Ted Face the Music Featurette

Bill & Ted Face the Music is set to hit theaters and Premium VOD on August 28!

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Neal Moritz Extends First-Look Deal with Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures today announced a two-year extension of its first-look deal with acclaimed producer Neal Moritz. The new deal extends the studio’s relationship with Moritz through December 31st, 2023.

RELATED: Paramount Sets PVOD Release for Dylan O’Brien-Led Apocalyptic Adventure

“I am incredibly grateful for the support, confidence, and faith that Jim and everyone at Paramount have shown me since we forged this partnership. I am overjoyed to be continuing this relationship and to see where our shared vision for pushing the boundaries of great entertainment takes us,” said Moritz.

“I am thrilled to extend this relationship with Neal and Original Film, which already has been so fruitful with the success of Sonic the Hedgehog. Neal has a unique talent for identifying, developing, and building franchises that truly capture audiences and embody the spirit of moviegoing. I couldn’t be happier that he is continuing to make Paramount his home as we move into our next phase of creating incredible entertainment for audiences everywhere,” added Paramount Pictures Chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos.

In the course of his partnership with the studio, Moritz produced the groundbreaking hit Sonic the Hedgehog and will be returning to produce the sequel as well. In addition to a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog, alongside Paramount, Moritz will also be producing To Catch a Thief and the upcoming mobster thriller American Son. Based on Jacques Audiard’s French film A Prophet, American Son will star Russell Crowe (The Loudest Voice, The Nice Guys), with Andrew “Rapman” Onwubolu (Blue Story) directing and Dennis Lehane (Mr. Mercedes, The Wire) writing the screenplay. Moritz and Toby Jaffe (Bloodshot, Total Recall) will be producing through their production company, Original Film.

Moritz is also known for producing highly-successful and iconic franchises including Fast & Furious at Universal Pictures and 21 Jump Street at Sony. Other credits include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, Sweet Home Alabama and I Am Legend, among others. Moritz is among the top-performing filmmakers in the industry, with movies he has produced earning a combined total of over $10 billion in box office gross.

RELATED: Will Smith & Kevin Hart to Star in Planes, Trains & Automobiles Remake From Paramount

Upon its release, Sonic the Hedgehog became the #1 opening weekend of all time for a movie based on a video game and went on to domestically become the #1 highest-grossing movie based on a video game of all time. The movie has to-date earned nearly $307 million at the worldwide box office. After its home entertainment release, the film also set Paramount’s record for first-day digital sales, becoming the studio’s all-time record-holder in less than three weeks.

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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