An all-round performance by Mohammad Nabi meant that St Lucia Zouks registered their second victory in the tournament, beating St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by 10 runs on Saturday. Nabi scored a quickfire 35 and picked up a wicket to lead his side to a win. Another two points in their kitty means that they are third in the points table.
Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq could be asked to relinquish his role as chief selector after the team returns from England as the cricket authorities are considering appointing a new person for the job.
In India and Pakistan both, there is a huge fan following of the cricketers, and are treated like gods. But MS Dhoni's retirement without a proper farewell match hasn't gone down well with some of the players from Pakistan.The Fast & Furious franchise has come a long way from its origins as a mid-budget B-level series about street racing to become a globetrotting set of action blockbusters that continue to raise the stakes to preposterous levels, so much so that we’d be disappointed at this point if the tenth and supposedly final outing doesn’t end up heading to outer space.
Star, producer and creative driving force Vin Diesel has convinced a whole host of impressive talent to join the family over the years including A-list action stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, Academy Award-winning actresses Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron, living legend Kurt Russell, martial arts icons Sonny Chiba, Tony Jaa and Joe Taslim, famous faces including Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart and Idris Elba, pro wrestlers John Cena and Roman Reigns… and Cardi B.
The Fast & Furious series boasts arguably the most diverse and eclectic roster to be found in any major Hollywood franchise, and we’re now hearing that Vin Diesel is keen to add one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most popular superheroes into the mix. According to our intel – which comes from the same sources that told us Han would be returning for the ninth installment and that Ryan Reynolds had a secret cameo in Hobbs & Shaw – the chrome-domed leading man wants Tom Holland to join the crew, and the actor has even reportedly held early talks with Universal about a role.
While there’s no guarantee that it’ll definitely happen, if Holland signs on and Dwayne Johnson returns to the main saga for Fast & Furious 10 as is widely expected, then that gives them the chance to collaborate on a movie that they’ve actively been looking for, as well as adding yet another major star to a franchise that’s already jam-packed full of them.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman has had a long and painful road to theaters. First came post-Justice League production woes as the project was retooled from the Ben Affleck Batman to Robert Pattinson’s. Then, while the shoot was in full swing, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Production was shut down indefinitely, the release date was delayed and though the shoot has resumed, The Batman will now premiere in October 2021.
Still, fans have been keeping a Bat-Signal lit for the project and we’ve finally been rewarded with the first official trailer for the movie, which just dropped at this weekend’s DC FanDome. Though we’ve previously seen costume tests of Pattinson in the Batsuit, this is our first look at him in full caped crusader action and frankly, the footage we see here is incredible and a far cry from previous Batman films.
Warner Bros. clearly has sky-high expectations for the project, too. Last month, we learned that Reeves and The Sopranos producer Terrence Winter are teaming up to create an HBO Max spinoff police procedural set within the movie’s universe. HBO Max describes it as “an unprecedented opportunity to extend the world established in the movie.”
And beyond The Batman? Well, whether it’s a success or not, sequels are inevitable, with casting rumors swirling about who’s going to be the Pattinson universe’s Joker. Further ahead, there’ve been hints that the newly multiversal DCEU could see Michael Keaton’s Batman playing a transdimensional visit to this particular Gotham City. And then, looming in the background, we get the return of Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (and who knows what’ll happen if that’s a smash hit?).
In the virtual realm, we’re also getting the Gotham Knights game and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, both of which will follow in the footsteps of the celebrated Arkham series. And so far, they both look fantastic.
The future still might be a bit uncertain, but one thing’s for sure: the 2020s are set to be the decade of Batman.
The first trailer for The Batman is set to drop later tonight, but a couple of images have now hit the web in advance that give us a taste of Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne. The moody pics show the actor with the cowl off, working in the Batcave and attending some kind of public function as a miserable looking Bruce Wayne. They’re a pretty dour and downbeat set of stills, which neatly fits in with what we’ve heard about Matt Reeves’ movie.
Most interesting is the close-up of Pattinson sans cowl. It’s neat to see the makeup he’s put around his eyes to enhance the terror of Batman and even the most ardent skeptic will have to admit he’s bringing some intensity to the role. Our look at the Batcave is also cool as everything seems very realistic and plausible, eschewing the gigantic cavern and outlandish villain props for what could be a regular basement. Then again, he does look a bit like a goth – but hey, he goes out at night dressed like a bat and what’s more goth than that?
We’ll no doubt get to see all this and more tonight when the hugely anticipated trailer drops. That should not only show off the Caped Crusader, but also his supporting cast. I’d be particularly psyched to see Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman, Paul Dano’s Riddler, Colin Farrell’s Penguin, Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Gordon and Andy Serkis’ Alfred.
With Micheal Keaton and Ben Affleck both confirmed as returning to the role, we should have more than enough of the Dark Knight over the next few years. The DCEU multiverse project could well see a detour to Matt Reeves’ Gotham City, too, so the next decade could well be the decade of Batman.
DC Comics and Warner Bros. held their first ever FanDome event today, a virtual convention that brought with it new movie trailers, announcements, and exciting gameplay footage.
From Warner Bros. Games Montreal’s Gotham Knights reveal (including nearly eight minutes of footage) to the first trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and an update on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series at Netflix, a lot happened. Here are the biggest moments (and videos) from DC FanDome. If you missed it, there are encore panels playing for the next several hours. Head over to DC FanDome’s schedule for a full list of repeat performances.
Gotham Knights announcement: As mentioned above, one of the biggest announcements was one fans have waited more than a year...
Fans were guessing we’d get at least one new movie announcement at DC FanDome and that expectation proved to be correct. One mystery spot on the schedule for Saturday’s virtual event was only labelled as Surprise DC Comics Panel. When it kicked off, we discovered it was for Milestone Comics, the previously defunct DC label dedicated to African-American characters, like Static Shock.
Along with the reveal that Milestone is coming back to the comics world, it was unveiled that a live-action movie is in early development based on arguably the line’s most iconic hero. Filmmaker Reginald Hudlin stated during the panel that there have been “serious conversations” at Warner Bros. about bringing the electro-powered teen to the silver screen in the near future. He also confirmed that it would be a theatrical venture and not something aimed at HBO Max.
Static Shock is the common alter ego of 16-year-old Virgil Hawkins, though he’s technically known as Static in-universe. After being created for the page by Dwayne McDuffie in 1993, he was sprung to mainstream popularity with the fondly remembered Static Shock animated series that ran from 2000-2004, as part of the DC Animated Universe – with Virgil rubbing shoulders with the Justice League a couple of times.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of Static coming to live-action, of course. A movie starring Jaden Smith was rumored a few years ago and Black Lightning showrunner Salim Akil has revealed that he’s tried to get him on The CW show. Clearly, this current project isn’t a done deal as yet, so it’s probably too early to say if it’ll actually happen. But there’s obviously a thirst out there for more of the character, so hopefully that’ll spur WB into action on the Static Shock movie.
Stories from DC FanDome are now stacking up, including a new trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, teasers for The Flash‘s seventh season and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and various other looks at the future of different franchises. We’ve also learnt a lot more about James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which has dropped a teaser and confirmation of the full cast of villains and anti-heroes set to appear in the 2021 movie. A panel at the virtual event has shown off the members of Task Force X, too, including the first big screen outing for King Shark.
A fan favorite for his appearances in The Flash and Harley Quinn, King Shark’s most defining feature is that, well, he’s a giant walking shark. The behind-the-scenes featurette for The Suicide Squad, which you can catch above, gives us a few glimpses of the character, including what seems to be him in the process of biting down on an unfortunate victim.
Steve Agee is taking on the role of the live-action King Shark, with the voice for the CGI version of the villain yet to be confirmed. There’ve been several different takes on the character in DC’s history, including as Nanaue, the Hawaii-born humanoid son of a Shark God. However, the casting of Agee for live scenes means The Suicide Squad will likely employ a similar approach to The Flash, wherein Shay Lamden is a marine biologist transformed by the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion, who later fights to maintain his humanity.
Whatever the backstory for the character, we’re looking forward to seeing how King Shark fits into what appears to be a pretty awesome take on Task Force X in The Suicide Squad. Given that the director has claimed he was allowed to do pretty much as he wanted with the material, we’d expect there to be a lot of the high-octane energy and humor that he brought to Guardians of the Galaxy. Plus, who doesn’t love a giant talking shark?
While the majority of Star Wars fans hold credible and rational debates when it comes to their disagreements over Disney’s Sequel Trilogy, a number of them have, over the years, gone off the rails and begun to harass the cast and crew on social media platforms.
At this point, we all know that the House of Mouse not only dropped the ball on the overall narrative of the Sequel Trilogy, but they also failed to stick the landing with Episode IX, marketed as the last movie in the Skywalker Saga. As such, the three installments remain controversial and divisive. A part of the fandom, meanwhile, has taken this a little too hard, some going so far as to negate the entire story arc because of Disney’s SJW and progressive approach.
After all, Thee Force Awakens did feature a black person as a central character and a female protagonist for the first time in the history of the franchise. While that, in and of itself, isn’t something that bugs most fans when it comes to the things they hate about Disney’s Star Wars, a vocal minority on Twitter has continuously harassed the people involved with the Sequel Trilogy over the alleged political correctness. That includes John Boyega, whom we know as the stormtrooper-turned-rebel Finn.
It seems, though, that the actor has had enough of “toxic” Star Wars fans and recently took the time to shut them down on his Twitter page.
Toxic Star Wars fans still find their way to my mentions. Lord. Must I be blunt? I don’t fuck with you no more
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) August 21, 2020
Lord waited so long to tell the toxic fans to fack off.
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) August 21, 2020
This isn’t the first time that Boyega has gone out of his way to criticize toxic fans, of course. And the attitude isn’t unheard of, either. This is the same sense of entitlement that haunted the likes of Hayden Christensen in the Prequel Trilogy. Even actress Kelly Marie Tran had to take a break from social media and seek therapy because of cyberbullying.
Boyega recently received a lot of media traction for his brave words in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests. And once again, he’s showing that he’s not afraid to say what’s really on his mind.
