Folio Society Gormenghast Trilogy Announced

©Dave McKean 2022 from The Folio Society’s limited edition The Gormenghast Trilogy

An extremely limited edition version of Mervyn Peake’s classic fantasy series, The Gormenghast Trilogy is now available via the Folio Society. Limited to 750 hand-numbered sets, the special edition of the cult hit features an introduction by Neil Gaiman and illustrations from Dave McKean.

A grand and gothic dream come true, this lavish limited edition of The Gormenghast Trilogy offers a modern testament to Peake’s timeless creative genius. Regarded as one of Britain’s greatest literary fabulists, Peake continues to influence generations of authors and filmmakers including Michael Moorcock and Terry Gilliam.

They are a total of 142 illustrations throughout the three books. The books themselves are incredibly high quality; we could bang on about the open-spine bindings, the Black Burano end papers and the specially designed presentation box, but this is a Folio Society Limited Edition, you probably already know this is going to be gorgeous.

In his introduction for this Folio Society limited edition, Neil Gaiman writes: “Every glorious sentence, every obscure word pulled from obscurity and out into the light, every fragment of poem is waiting here for you. Revel in it.”

Images ©Dave McKean 2022 from The Folio Society’s limited edition The Gormenghast Trilogy

The collection is available exclusively from The Folio Society – www.foliosociety.com

Watch the interview with Dave McKean here.

Neil Patrick Harris Joins DOCTOR WHO’s 60th Anniversary

Neil Patrick Harris in Doctor Who

Now that all those street parties have quietened down, we can say there’s only one jubilee we at STARBURST are excited about, and that’s Doctor Who’s sixtieth, set to be marked in 2023. 

The show’s celebration of this big birthday is already looking packed, with David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning alongside popular showrunner Russell T Davies, new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa making his debut, and Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney among the cast.

And now one more major cast member has joined the party – Emmy and Tony-winning star Neil Patrick Harris has been confirmed to be making an appearance, as a character Davies has described as “the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced”. Speculate away as to what that means. 

Harris recently worked with Davies on his brilliant Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin, and will be known to STARBURST readers for his appearances in The Matrix Resurrections, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, among other cult credits.

Doctor Who celebrates its sixtieth anniversary in November 2023, but the celebration is rumoured to take place across a series of three specials, with exact broadcast dates to be confirmed. Before that, of course, current Doctor Jodie Whittaker will be seen in one last episode later this year.

“World’s Smallest” publisher book fair hits London

Quirky arts-venue/cafe/bar/hang-out for cool kids The Peckham Pelican is to host The Uncorrected, an independent publisher’s fair.

The event will host some of the UK’s most exciting indie publishers under one roof: Flipped Eye Publishing, Les Fugitives, Prototype, Repeater Books, Rough Trade Books, Strange Attractor Press, Tangerine Press and the L-13 Light Industrial Workshop dishonesty box.

Acts include the Unexplained Podcast and an acoustic set from Lillies in my Brain. All completely free, though you may end up buying a lot of books.

Tangerine Press - London - England

[Updated] Jordan Peele’s NOPE Unveils Trailer

Keke Palmer in trailer for Nope by Jordan Peele

Set to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Fingertips’ (which is somehow made creepy) comes Jordan Peele’s third feature directorial effort, Nope, which has been described as a reimagining of the summer movie with a new pop nightmare… whatever that means, we’re in.

Jordan Peele's Nope poster

Refreshingly, the trailer gives little to nothing away, other than setting up the basic concept: a family ranch in California comes under threat by something from the sky. That something could be aliens, some weird supernatural force, or whatever else constitutes a “bad miracle” in Peele’s strange world. No matter the subject though, it’s safe to expect great things from the horror filmmaker that gave us the Oscar-winning Get Out and Lupita Nyong’o-starring Us. 

We also get an introduction to the cast, showcasing Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Steven Yeun (Okja, Minari), Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), Brandon Perea (The OA) and Michael Wincott (Westworld).

Nope releases July 22nd. Watch the trailer below.

UPDATE:
Check out the second trailer for Nope:

MONSTROUS Starring Christina Ricci Gets UK Release

monstrous

Supernatural thriller Monstrous, which screened at FrightFest Glasgow, starring Christina Ricci and directed by Chris Sivertson (All Cheerleaders Die) will be released in the UK for digital download on Monday, July 11th.

monstrous poster

The film’s synopsis is:

A terrifying new horror awaits Laura (Christina Ricci) and her seven-year-old son Cody (Santini Barnard) when they flee her abusive ex-husband and try to settle into a new life in an idyllic and remote lakeside farmhouse. Still traumatised, their physical and mental well-being are pushed to the limit as their fragile existence is threatened by something monstrous in the lake….

Director Chris Sivertson describes his film as “A mashup – supernatural horror, ‘50s period piece, family drama, creature feature, psychological thriller – but above all it’s a character study”. He adds:“It’s impossible to talk about Monstrous without talking about the sublime Christina Ricci. A phenomenal performer, she carries the movie on her shoulders every step of the way. She evokes deep empathy for a single mother who’s trying to keep her world from crumbling to pieces”.

Monstrous stars Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets), Colleen Camp (Sliver), Santino Bernard (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), Don Baldaramos (Suburbicon), and Nick Vallelonga (Green Book)

Monstrous will be available to download from July 11th. You can pre-order on iTunes here.

monstrous

RETRO-STYLE OBI-WAN TOYS LAUNCHED

Hasbro Toy NED 8 Yellow Robot Kenobi

If you’re a Star Wars fan, chances are that you’re currently having a blast watching the new Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi show over on Disney+. And if you’re a certain age, you may wonder what the new show’s characters would look like in plastic toy form; specifically the iconic retro style.

Wonder no longer, HASBRO has you covered. The STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION 3.75-INCH OBI-WAN KENOBI (WANDERING JEDI) figure certainly looks the part.

A person in a garment Description automatically generated with medium confidence


He’s not alone though. What would be the point a solo jedi with no one to fight? Clearly the only person up for the job is Darth Vader himself, this time in the special ‘Dark Times’ armour.

A person in a garment Description automatically generated with low confidence

Vader might need back up, of course, in the form of the dashing STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION 3.75-INCH GRAND INQUISITOR.

This, and the NED8 robot toy featured on the show can all be found at Hasbro Pulse UK and most good collector sites. Visit starwars.com for more Obi-Wan Wednesdays product reveals! 

Critical Role Novel Cover Revealed

The cover for the next Critical Role novelization, The Mighty Nein – The Nine Eyes of Lucien, has been revealed.

The cover features one of Campaign Two’s most memorable villains, the hell-touched tiefling Lucien. The tortured villain would grow to become one of Exandria’s greatest threats during the campaign. The new novel details Lucien’s dark path and how he ended up becoming such a dangerous foe.

The villain is much beloved by the fans, as the sheer amount of fan-art and fiction will attest. The official novelisation has been produced by New York Times bestselling author Madeleine Roux, who’s work includes House of Furies series, Salvaged, Traveler: The Shining Blade, and the Allison Hewitt Is Trapped series.

The book will be released this Autumn, in plenty of time for Christmas stocking fillers.

Critical Role Team To Release Free RPG

Critical Role Matt Mercer

Darrington Press, the RPG publishing arm of hit Twitch show Critical Role have announced that they will be giving away a one-page RPG called A Familiar Problem, designed by famed tabletop game designer Grant Howitt  and Critical Role’s own Marisha Ray

The rules will be available as part of Free RPG Day on June 25th, a world wide event designed to encourage gamers to attend their friendly local gaming store.

In A Familiar Problem you’ll play as a scrappy and stressed out group of familiars trying to get a grip on the chaotic lives your adventuring party subjects, and make a difference any small way you can. To prove you’re up to adventuring, you’ll band together and undertake a daring quest of your own.

Additionally, Marisha Ray will be running this game in an exciting one-shot titled A Familiar Problem: Sprinkle’s Incredible Journey! The familiars in question will include beloved Critical Role favorites alongside new friends of fur, scales, and a whole lot of chaos. Players in this upcoming one-shot include Critical Role founders Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer, and Travis Willingham, with Heidi N Closet (Ru Paul’s Drag Race), Isabella Roland (Dimension 20) joining the table. A Familiar Problem: Sprinkle’s Incredible Journey! will be available via Twitch in the UK from June 24 and on Youtube the following Monday.

Jackie Cruz Stars Opposite Paul Wesley In HISTORY OF EVIL

Jackie Cruz cast in History of Evil opposite Paul Wesley

Orange Is The New Black star Jackie Cruz was announced to replace Stephanie Beatriz as the co-lead in horror-thriller movie History Of Evil, which has just wrapped filming in New Orleans. Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries) stars opposite Cruz in the film from Iranian-American writer-director Bo Mirhosseni. The horror pic is the filmmaker’s feature debut, having made his name directing music videos for MTV.

In History Of Evil, a family on the run from a corrupt state takes refuge in a safe house with an evil past, a terrifying last stop on a near-future Underground Railroad. As per her Instagram post, Cruz revealed her character was named Alegre, but nothing else. While plot details are still scarce, you can likely expect more information soon as the project goes into post-production.

Beatriz reportedly exited History Of Evil prior to filming, due to scheduling conflicts.

While her big break came portraying Flaca in Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black, Jackie Cruz ‘s recent roles include the Bruce Willis and Megan Fox action movie Midnight In The Switchgrass and Panama, a thriller starring Mel Gibson and Cole Hauser. 

No release date has yet been announced for History Of Evil, though later this year seems likely now that filming has wrapped.