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Stephen Colbert Plays D&D For Comic Relief

Today, the Critical Role Foundation, in collaboration with Red Nose Day, is set to premiere their second adventure with The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert at 3AM BST on Critical Role’s Twitch YouTube channels, with the VOD available to watch on the Critical Role YouTube channel Friday at 5PM BST.

The campaign will see Critical Role’s Chief Creative Officer and Game Master, Matthew Mercer, guide fellow Critical Role co-founders Ashley Johnson, Marisha Ray, and Sam Riegel, all reprising their Mighty Nein characters at level 5 (Yasha, Beau, and Nott) alongside the one and only Stephen Colbert.

Since 2019, Critical Role and Critical Role Foundation have raised approximately $790k for Red Nose Day, a campaign that raises life-changing funds to help end the cycle of child poverty and ensure a healthy future for all children, through their Stephen Colbert campaigns, CRF merch sales, cause marketing around their adult and child facial masks, and their ongoing nonprofit partner split. The 2022 campaign alone has raised over $115K for the non-profit, with more donations coming in daily.

Through donation-based votes, fans were able to decide the fate of Stephen Colbert’s adventure, whose character will:

Have a bee (Eric the 2nd, following his father’s footsteps) that travels with him
Be able to cast Polymorph ONCE during the adventure, regardless of class and level (but it has a small chance of going wrong)
Need to recover his dignity that has been taken from him
Start his journey with a living weapon that despises violence

This is the second campaign Critical Role and Red Nose Day have worked on with Stephen Colbert. Their first campaign, 2019’s Choose Stephen Colbert’s Adventure raised over $120K in support of Red Nose Day’s mission to fight and eradicate childhood poverty. In the UK, Comic Relief have ran D&D themed Fundraisers that have included the likes of Nish Kumar, Sue Perkins, Ed Gamble, Sara Pascoe and Ted Lasso actor Paul Foxcroft.

For more information on the campaign, please visit https://critrole.com/rednoseday

DUNE: THE SISTERHOOD Series Finds New Director

Still from Dune: Part One starring Timothee Chalamet, Bene Gesserit to have spinoff series Dune: The Sisterhood

Emmy Award-winning director Johan Renck (HBO’s Chernobyl) is set to direct the first two episodes of the prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood.

Serving as a prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films, The Sisterhood (which is still a working title) was handed a straight-to-series order in 2019 by HBO Max. At the time, Villeneuve was set to direct the pilot episode; Renck is now taking over that duty and is on board to executive produce. Diane Ademu-John (The Haunting of Bly Manor) has also taken over as writer and showrunner from Jon Spaihts, the latter of whom chose to focus on writing Dune: Part Two – the film sequel is set for a 2023 release.

Dune: The Sisterhood is set 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides and follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.

Renck previously directed pilots for Vikings and Bloodline, as well as several episodes of Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. He is currently in post-production for the Netflix sci-fi feature Spaceman, about an orphaned boy raised in the Czech countryside by his grandparents, who overcomes all odds to become the country’s first astronaut. The film stars Adam Sandler, Paul Dano, and Carey Mulligan.

Dune: The Sisterhood

Sony-Marvel’s Next Film Is EL MUERTO

Next Sony Marvel live-action film will be El Muerto starring Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny is el Muerto! Puerto Rican rapper Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, has been cast as the newest character in Sony’s slate of Marvel superheroes – he will lead the standalone film El Muerto.

The casting announcement was made at CinemaCon this week, and marks the first time a Latino actor has headlined a live-action Marvel film.

Known as Juan-Carlos Estrada Sanchez in the comics, El Muerto is a wrestler whose powers (including superstrength) are handed down by ancestry in the form of a mask. Sony brass have hinted that Bad Bunny will play an antihero on the verge of inheriting his father’s power; the singer-actor has also dabbled in professional wrestling, which makes him particularly well-suited to the lead role.

The decision to centre on el Muerto may surprise some fans, given that he is a fairly minor Spider-Man-related character – but then again so is Madame Web, another character getting their own feature. Deadline has also reported that it was Bad Bunny himself who mined the Spider-Man library for Latin characters that would suit him, and it was him who brought the idea to the studio.

Other upcoming Sony Marvel projects include the Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney-led Madame Web, which releases July 7th, 2023, and Kraven the Hunter starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, which is due to hit cinemas January 13th, 2023.

Bad Bunny will next be seen opposite Brad Pitt in the action thriller Bullet Train, which releases later this year.

El Muerto

Spelljammer Gets The Beadle and Grimms Treatment

The big news for fans of Dungeons and Dragons is that Spelljammer has returned. And of course this means that the lovely people over at Beadle and Grimm’s will be giving the new expansion the luxury treatment. Beadle and Grimm are the company set up by Scooby Doo and Hacker’s actor Matthew Lillard along with industry legends such as Jon Ciccolini. They create full box-set experiences for D&D players, turning them into immersive experiences. Their Wild Beyond The Witchlight and Ravenloft sets are remarkable gaming artefacts.

Spelljammer: Adventures in Space promises to be D&D 5E’s wildest setting so far; sailing ships in space exploring the outer reaches of the astral sea. The setting takes full advantage of D&D long list of worlds and monsters and blends them with everything from space vampire pirates to monstrous asteroid dwelling behemoths. The core offering already sounds like it’ll be a treat, so we are really excited by Beadle and Grimm’s take on this.

Lillard told the press: “Spelljamming ship maps, space horrors, intergalactic political intrigue… I mean, what’s not to love?! Long-time Spelljammer fans, and those DMs new to the setting, are going to have a blast immersing their players in Wildspace,””

Two sets will be available, the limited edition Platinum and a Silver Edition.

The Platinum Edition is packed with exclusive items, including, but not limited to:

A TUBE FULL OF D&D MAPS: A hallmark of Beadle & Grimm’s boxed sets are the beautifully rendered battle maps and area maps, and the Spelljammer set will continue that tradition, including but not limited to battle maps of key spelljamming ships
PRE-PAINTED WIZKIDS MINIATURES: Exclusively included in the Platinum Edition are 20 pre-painted miniatures specially selected from the Spelljammer: Adventures in Space series from WizKids. Curated by Beadle & Grimm’s, this set provides the DM with key monsters and NPCs included in this adventure.
IN-WORLD PLAYER HANDOUTS: When the players receive a hand-written invitation, find a mysterious note, or discover a key written clue, the DM can actually hand these beautifully designed pieces to the player instead of simply reading them.
JEWELRY & ARTIFACTS: Each Platinum Edition will contain several expertly crafted key artifacts, including important objects the players are searching for, custom tokens for use as gameplay aids, and jewelry players can wear.
ENCOUNTER CARDS: Designed to ﬁt over the DM’s screen, these cards feature encounter artwork on the player side and all the crucial stats and role-playing information on the DM’s side.
DM SCREEN: The exterior will feature fantastical original art from Beadle & Grimm’s, while the interior will give the DM the quick-reference tables and adventure-specific information needed to smoothly run their game.
BONUS ENCOUNTERS: Additional encounters created exclusively by Beadle & Grimm’s to take advantage of areas, elements or themes of this adventure, these short encounters can be dropped in by the DM to further immerse the players in the world and expand their game experience.
SPELLJAMMER: ADVENTURES IN SPACE: The contents of the complete published books from Dungeons & Dragons are included in soft cover form, including sections designed exclusively for the players’ eyes.
PLATINUM EDITION BOX: The most luxurious adventure set could only be delivered in the most luxurious box available. The Platinum Edition box is the perfect storage for all the unique elements for this adventure as well a necessary addition to any gamer’s shelf.

The Silver Edition will contain less items, but still be a huge boon to anyone planning on running the game. More details on this luxurious approach to D&D can be found at http://beadleandgrimms.com/spelljammer.

HAWKEYE Director Helming ROBOTECH Film

High off his success as the main director on Marvel’s Hawkeye series, Rhys Thomas has been tapped to direct the live-action feature adaptation of the cult ’80s anime franchise Robotech, Deadline reports.

The film is currently in development at Sony Pictures, based on a script by Marcum & Holloway with a rewrite by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka.

The original Robotech series is set in a future where humanity is under threat of a full-scale alien invasion. In hopes of surviving the armies’ onslaught, humans explore the wreckage of a fallen alien spacecraft for weapons: the technology they find enables them to develop giant mechas that can help defend Earth.

For this feature however, the initial synopsis (which is subject to change) reads: “A conquered earth is now home to invasive aliens who have pushed all remaining humans into prison camps. There, a young teenage boy will discover a hidden truth with the potential to free our world.” The film is in development.

If you’re thinking that this sounds an awful lot like the set-up for Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim universe, you’d be right – the director has cited Robotech as one of his inspirations.

Before Thomas boarded the project, the film was set to be helmed by It director Andrés Muschietti and penned by Wonder Woman co-writer Jason Fuchs. Both have since exited the project.

No word yet on any casting or release date but, with Sony having confirmed Thomas’ onboarding as director, expect further news on Robotech soon.

Robotech

THE BATMAN 2 Confirmed; R-Batz & Reeves Returning

On the second day of CinemaCon, Warner Bros. and DC gave to us… The Batman 2! That’s right, Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves will return with a sequel, it has been officially confirmed.

“Matt took one of our most iconic and beloved superheroes and delivered a fresh vision” Warner Bros. movie chief Toby Emmerich revealed at CinemaCon. “Matt Reeves, Rob Pattinson and the entire team will be taking audiences back to Gotham with The Batman 2.”

The Batman‘s huge critical and box office successes ensured that, mere days after the film opened, HBO Max committed to a straight-to-limited-series order for The Penguin, with Colin Farrell reprising his role as Oswald Cobblepot. The spinoff series will be executive produced by Reeves, Dylan Clark, Farrell, Daniel Pipski, Adam Kassan and Lauren LeFranc, the latter of whom will serve as showrunner.

No release date was announced for The Batman 2.

The Batman

Dungeon Master and Uni The Unicorn come to Idle Champions

Fans of the 80’s Dungeons and Dragons cartoon will be delighted to learn that classic characters Uni the Unicorn and Dungeon Master have made a triumphant return to the world of gaming. This time as new playable characters for the cult hit game, Idle Champions. His enemies, including Tiamat and Venger, will also turn up in various Adventure Variants.

Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is an officially-licensed Dungeons & Dragons strategy management video game uniting iconic characters from novels, campaigns, and shows into one epic adventure. It can play itself (it’s an idle game), but it’s more fun to actively manage the adventurers as they defeat various monsters. Playable characters include Minsc and Boo, Drizzt Do’Urden, Bruenor Battlehammer from R.A. Salvatore’s Forgotten Realms novels, Celeste from the Neverwinter MMORPG.

In order to celebrate their 100th character, Codename Entertainment, the people behind Idle Champions, have made Dungeon Master available for a limited time as part of an event called The Running. This event starts from April 27th at 8PM BST and runs until May 9th. (If you miss the event, don’t panic, he’ll still be available to players via The Time Gates.)

You’ll also be able to get a baby version of Uni as a familar in the game which will do some of the fighting for you. And a reskinned Dungeon Master in snazzy white ‘Archmagi’ robes can also be found. Dungeon Master’s special gear includes D&D books and the roller coaster car from the cartoon.

We asked Codename Entertainment’s live service manager Chris Dupuis some cheeky questions:

Out of all the classic D&D heroes, why Uni and Dungeon Master?

We’ve introduced characters from throughout the D&D Multiverse. We have characters from novels, video games, TRPG books, D&D Livestreams, and even a collection of our own unique character creations. With the 100th champion, we wanted to do something special, so why not a character from a cartoon?

For so many of us, Dungeon Master was our first introduction to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. We had multiple options, but for our 100th Champion, Dungeon Master (and Uni, who came along later during the design process) just felt perfect given our audience and our game’s quirky style.

The D&D kids never made it home, will the Idle Champions?
We’ve gone to the depths of Undermountain, we’ve delved into the nine hells, and we’ve cracked into an ancient glacier. There’s always another adventure out there, and we’re excited to continue the ride!

If we have it our way, Idle Champions will be questing through the Sword Coast (and beyond) for many years to come. We love our motley crew of Champions and we want to continue to bring exciting, quirky, and fun adventures to our players for as long as they are along for the ride with us.

100 is a big number, what’s the next milestone?

Champion 101? Or maybe I should say Noipmahc 10! Seriously though. Along with the release of Dungeon Master, we’re releasing a fully localized version of the game; we’re so excited to introduce Idle Champions to a wider audience! We’ve translated the game into Brazillian Portuguese, French, German, Latin American Spanish, and Simplified Chinese.

As we continue further into 2022, we’re looking toward our next few Champions, some new systems that are in development for later this year, and our next interactive livestream adventure (Idle Champions Presents – Series 4) this fall!

BODIES BODIES BODIES Trailer: A Gen Z Murder Spree

Bodies Bodies Bodies comedy slasher trailer

The first trailer for A24’s dark comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies has just released, featuring a group of rich 20-somethings as they attend a hurricane party at a remote family mansion.

Halina Reijn directs from a script by Sarah DeLappe, and promises a fresh and funny look at backstabbing and fake friends during a party that goes very, very wrong. Assembling one hell of a promising cast, Bodies Bodies Bodies stars Amandla Stenberg (Dear Evan Hansen, upcoming Star Wars: The Acolyte), Borat Subsequent Moviefilm breakout star Maria Bakalova, Myha’la Herrold (Industry), Chase Sui Wonders (On The Rocks, Daniel Isn’t Real), Shiva Baby‘s Rachel Sennott, Foundation‘s Lee Pace, and SNL comedian and actor Pete Davidson.

Bodies Bodies Bodies premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival to rave reviews, and will release in cinemas on August 5th.

Check out the brand-new trailer and movie poster below:

Bodies Bodies Bodies

THE CIRCLE Sequel THE EVERY Being Adapted As Comedy Series

Dave Eggers’ 2021 dystopian novel about an Amazon-esque company, The Every is set to receive a television series adaptation over at HBO, Variety reports. The Every is a follow up to Eggers’ 2013 book The Circle, which was turned into a film of the same name starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson.

The Every will be adapted as a half-hour comedy series by Rachel Axler (Veep, Parks and Recreation), and follows as the world’s largest tech company acquires the planet’s dominant e-commerce site (known as “the jungle”) to create the richest and most dangerous – and, oddly enough, the most beloved – monopoly ever known: The Every.

The novel centres on Delaney Wells, an unlikely new hire at the company. A former forest ranger and unwavering tech sceptic, she charms her way into an entry-level job with one goal in mind: to take down the company from within. With her compatriot, the not-at-all-ambitious Wes Makazian, they look for the Every’s weaknesses, hoping to free humanity from all-encompassing surveillance and the emoji-driven infantilization of the human species. But does anyone want what Delaney is fighting to save? Does humanity truly want to be free?

While that doesn’t exactly sound like a barrel of laughs, executive vice president of HBO Programming Amy Gravitt states: “In this equally terrifying and hilarious cautionary tale, Dave Eggers shows us the increasing cost of the frictionless life that technology enables. As he writes, ‘Nothing described herein actually happened, though much of it likely will,’ and what better starting point for an HBO comedy script?”

For now, we’ll just have to take her word for it.

The Every

CinemaCon Updates: Everything Coming Up At Sony

poster for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hand throwing peace sign

Sony kicked off this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas yesterday and unveiled first-look footage and news updates on its slate of upcoming titles – including the Brad Pitt-starring Bullet Train from John Wick filmmaker David Leitch, the historical epic The Woman King starring Viola Davis, and the much-anticipated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Sony brass also confirmed further instalments in a couple of its existing franchises, with Venom 3 and a Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel officially greenlit.

Here’s everything we have learned so far:

– Bullet Train, the action thriller about Brad Pitt’s bucket hat-wearing, Tokyo-dwelling assassin sees readying for the famous “One Last Job”. Bullet Train will release July 29th, and new footage of the film’s opening was reportedly very well-received by audiences at Caesar’s Palace.

– The first trailer was unveiled for Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King, about the general of an all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey that existed until 1904 (Dahomey was one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries).
The Woman King was described as the “real-world Black Panther“, and will release September 16th in time for awards season. Viola Davis, who also attended the presentation, described the film as her “magnum opus”.

– Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part II has been renamed as Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

– Across the Spider-Verse‘s will splash its adventure on an even bigger scale than expected! Phil Lord and Chris Miller took to the stage before presenting the first 15 minutes of raw footage for the 2023 animation, revealing that the film will take place across six dimensions and has 240 characters in it – for comparison, the Oscar-winning Into the Spider-Verse was set in one dimension and had just 40 characters.