Ella Jay Basco in Talks for BIRDS OF PREY’s Cassandra Cain

Ella Jay Basco Cassandra Cain

With Cathy Yan’s upcoming Birds of Prey picture having now amassed the majority of its titular team and its ‘big bad’, now comes word on who may be playing the final member of the Birds group.

Courtesy of Variety, Ella Jay Basco is said to be in talks to play Cassandra Cain in the movie. The young actress is a relative newcomer who’s had roles in efforts such as Veep, Happyland and Grey’s Anatomy, and the Cain role is a huge one that could potentially lead to plenty more down the line.

In the comics, Cassandra Cain is the daughter of two assassins – David Cain and the badass Lady Shiva – and has had several different monikers since debuting back in 1999. Within a month of appearing in the pages of DC Comics’ Batman title, Cassandra became Batgirl, with Black Bat and then Orphan other mantles taken on by this truly fascinating character. And we say that, because the origin story and early years of Cassandra Cain make for absolutely stunning reading, with her tough childhood the driving force behind her brutal, clinical approach to the world.

If Basco does indeed sign on the dotted line, she’ll join a cast that currently sees Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress, and Rosie Perez’s Renee Montoya as the titular Birds of Prey team, with Ewan McGregor on board to play the villain of the piece, Roman Sionis, aka the sinister Black Mask.

At present, Birds of Prey is set for a February 7th, 2020 release.

Kickstarter Underway for TRAGIC TALES OF HORRERE

Tragic Tales of Horrere

A Kickstarter is underway to produce a trade paperback edition of anthology horror comic Tragic Tales of Horrere.

The series is a showcase of short horror fiction, featuring work form a wide variety of up and coming creatives. The collection will bring together the first two issues of the comic, the Halloween special, and the one-shot short Laudanum, together totalling a none-too-shabby 128 pages.

Promising to “delight and disturb you in equal measure,” the stories feature the likes of demonic babies in bell-jars, Bigfoot, Lovecraftian horrors, confused professors and tombs that should have remained firmly sealed, with tones ranging from “the vague and psychological, to the spooky and the ghostly, and of course a healthy dose of blood-soaked gore.” The book itself is £12, and a number of other rewards such as art prints and t-shirts are also available.

The campaign will run until 1st December, but as it’s almost reached its funding target it’s now effectively acting as a pre-orders page. Head here to check it out.

Tragic Tales of Horrere Tragic Tales of Horrere

Gina Carano Joins THE MANDALORIAN

Gina Carano

Hot on the heels of those rumblings of Pedro Pascal potentially taking the lead role in The Mandalorian, now comes word on another new addition for the series.

Via The Hollywood Reporter, Gina Carano is set to join The Mandalorian in a to-be-revealed role. Genre fans will likely be most familiar with Carano for her roles in Deadpool, Haywire and Fast & Furious 6. Away from acting, Carano made a huge name for herself in the MMA world.

In terms of what we know so far about The Mandalorian, the series will take place a few years after Return of the Jedi and the action will largely be set in the outer territories of the galaxy. Genre fave Jon Favreau has penned the small-screen effort, with The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels’ Dave Filoni to direct the pilot episode. Other heavy hitters confirmed to direct further episodes are Taika Waititi, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Deborah Chow.

Expect more on The Mandalorian as it continues to develop.

George R.R. Martin’s WILD CARDS Getting TWO TV Series

Wild Cards

Well, here’s some great news for fans of George R.R. Martin. Not one, but two TV adaptations are on the way for one of the iconic author’s properties.

Via Deadline, Hulu is moving forward with two Wild Cards-driven shows through Universal Cable Productions. To date, there have been 27 volumes for Wild Cards, with the first book in the series published back in 1987. An anthology effort that spans across a shared universe, the origins of this book series began life during Martin’s tabletop gaming days, in which he and a group of likeminded souls ultimately decided to write their own superhero and sci-fi tales.

The official blurb on the Wild Cards property reads:

Wild Cards explores an alternate world that was forever changed by the Wild Card virus. In 1946, the virus was released over New York City before infecting victims across the globe. 90% of the infected were killed, while 9% of the population was left with crippling mutations. However, 1% of the population gained super powers after being infected. In the aftermath, the empowered humans were called Aces, and the mutants were called Jokers.

Universal Cable Productions actually nabbed the rights to Wild Cards in 2016, and these two upcoming shows will be penned and produced by The Secret Circle’s Andrew Miller. Similarly, both shows will have George R.R. Martin, Melinda Snodgrass and Vince Gerardis on producing duties, too.

Expect more on both these shows as we get it.

Legendary to Adapt BLACK HAMMER

BLACK HAMMER

Barely a week goes by where we don’t get word on a new comic book property being adapted for the big or small screen, and now we’re hearing that Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer is getting the TV treatment.

Courtesy of The New York Times, Legendary Entertainment has picked up the TV rights to this fan favourite Dark Horse title. Owned by Lemire, Black Hammer was created by Lemire and artist Dean Ormston only a couple of years ago, debuting in 2016.

For those unfamiliar with the Eisner Award-winning Black Hammer, the synopsis for the title reads:

The series follows six superheroes who, after having saved the world from a multiversal crisis, are trapped in a small town from which they can’t escape.

In the comics, Black Hammer is part of a shared realm that also houses titles such as Sherlock Frankenstein & The Legion of Evil and Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows, and it appears that this shared universe will also be incorporated into the TV take.

On this news, Legendary TV’s Nick Pepper enthused, “With out development team, one of our big initiatives was to bring in a superhero universe. We were lucky enough that this was available.”

As ever, expect more on Legendary’s Black Hammer as it develops.

Pedro Pascal in Talks for THE MANDALORIAN

The Mandalorian Pedro Pascal

With The Mandalorian currently in development for Disney’s upcoming new streaming service, now comes word on who may be headlining this hotly anticipated new show.

Courtesy of Variety, it’s reported that Pedro Pascal is currently in talks to star in the titular role. Pascal, of course, is best known to genre fans for the likes of Game of Thrones, Narcos and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and he’ll be seen next year in Wonder Woman 1984.

In terms of what we know so far about The Mandalorian, the series will take place a few years after Return of the Jedi and the action will largely be set in the outer territories of the galaxy. Genre fave Jon Favreau has penned the small-screen effort, with The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels’ Dave Filoni to direct the pilot episode. Other heavy hitters confirmed to direct further episodes are Taika Waititi, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Deborah Chow.

Expect more on The Mandalorian as it continues to develop.

GAME OF THRONES’ Final Season Gets New Teaser + Start Date

Winter is coming. And we now know when…

Fans of HBO’s monster hit Game of Thrones can officially mark their calendars – the next trip* to Westeros will begin in April!

If that wasn’t enough, HBO also released a fabulous new promo video to whip us into a frenzy…

*Notice we didn’t say final? For those who don’t know (all two of you), though this season will be Game of Thrones’ last, production on the first in a series of planned spin-offs is already underway. Written by Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class), alongside creator George R.R. Martin himself, the currently untitled prequel show will be set approximately eight thousands years before the events depicted in GoT, and will chronicle “the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour“, according to the folks at HBO. They added, “From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend… it’s not the story we think we know.” Casting is still in its infancy, but confirmed so far is the wonderful Naomi Watts (Mullholland Drive), who will play “a socialite with a secret”.

Expect the show (which Martin is still insisting is called The Long Night) to premiere sometime in 2020.

More news from Westeros as soon as we get the next raven…

CCP Release EVE Online Update ‘Onslaught’

onslaught

CCP Games has released ‘Onslaught’, the newest expansion to EVE Online, the deep and uniquely player-driven spaceship MMO game. A free update, EVE Online: Onslaught invites players of all experience levels to explore the dangerous and isolated Abyssal Deadspace together in cooperative play. This high-risk, high-reward gameplay offers new weapons and technologies to obtain, including blueprints for two powerful and exotic ships. The expansion also adds new Upwell navigation structures, allowing players to jump between two points in space and forge their own faster-than-light travel networks. In addition, EVE Online: Onslaught introduces the highly-anticipated Activity Tracker, transforming the way all players are able to navigate their personal journey within EVE’s persistent, living universe.

You can check out more of what you can expect in this video:

Bergur Finnbogason, EVE Online’s Creative Director said: “EVE is best played with friends, so with EVE Online: Onslaught our goal has been to provide thrilling co-op gameplay for our community to experience in the Abyss. It’s not only a race against time and increasingly difficult enemies, but now capsuleers will also have to focus on keeping each other alive, assisting however they can. We’re especially eager to see our players diving into Abyssal Deadspace’s new PvP arena where two ships enter, one ship leaves!”

CCP’s CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson added: “EVE Online has always been about putting control in the hands of our players. With capsuleers now able to build their own highway networks between the stars coupled with our use of Abyssal space as an incubator for some of our wilder ideas, after 15 years and over 40 expansions we still find creating new ways for our players to shape EVE’s sophisticated virtual world as they see fit very inspiring.”

The new version of Abyssal Deadspace now allows for co-operative PvE gameplay, with players able to bring two other pilots into the fray. Players can choose from any combination of three frigates to fight new hostile NPCs, scavenge materials and earn valuable rewards together. Difficulty tiers have been adjusted to accommodate the increase in players within the Abyss, but pilots will still need to avoid venturing away from stable pockets of space for too long or risk being destroyed. Pilots who make it to the end of their journeys may now come across an optional gate they can enter to fight in arena-style 1v1 PvP combat against others who have achieved the same feat. Players will have to risk everything to survive these encounters – only the victors will return intact, having plundered their opponent’s haul.

For both cooperative and solo experiences, two new Triglavian ships can also be built from blueprints found in the Abyss and are the first of their kind for their respective classes – the Kikimora, a Triglavian Destroyer with enormous bonuses to range for its weapon systems and the Drekavac, a Triglavian Battlecruiser designed for deadly close-range brawling tactics. Two further ships will be available next month – the Rodiva Support Cruiser and the Zarmazd, a Triglaivan Logistics Cruiser that will remotely buff the armor of other vessels.

EVE Online: Onslaught also features the fully-comprehensive Activity Tracker, available to all players, enabling them to fine tune who they want to be in New Eden and view the various diversification and specialisation options open to them. New Upwell Navigation Structures are also available, replacing Jump Bridges, allowing ships to travel between two points in space that are less than five light-years apart, creating a multitude of strategic uses for player organisations seeking territorial control.

For more information about EVE Online: Onslaught, including the new Abyssal Deadspace 2.0, the Activity Tracker, Upwell Navigation Structures and other enhancements, visit updates.eveonline.com. EVE Online can be downloaded for free by visiting www.eveonline.com/download.

Stan Lee 1922 – 2018

Stan Lee

In some absolutely devastating news, Stan Lee has passed away at the age of 95.

The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news, with a source confirming to the outlet that Lee died early Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

To many, Lee was simply known as The Man. A legend of his field and beyond, his writing, editing and publishing work sees his career viewed as the holy grail of the comic book industry. Simply put, nobody could write ‘em like Stan Lee could write ‘em, and it was his unique imagination that saw him play a part in the creation of so many comic book characters that are now household names across the globe.

Born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28th, 1922, Lee would first become involved with Timely Comics in 1939. Timely, of course, later going on to be better known as Marvel Comics. During his time, Lee either created or co-created juggernauts such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, Hulk, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Silver Surfer, Captain Marvel,  Nick Fury, and the beloved X-Men.

While he was a force of nature on his own, Lee was also famous for teaming up with icons of the industry such as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Bill Everett. And whether as his own creation or working alongside someone, Stan The Man would bring an everyman relatability to his characters and their world – not least in how so many of his creations would call the very real streets of New York home.

One of the first to comment on this tragic news was Captain America actor, Chris Evans:

Simply put, Stan Lee was a rock star of comic books and of pop culture. Not just there for the larger-than-life heroes and villains, Lee was one of those who helped to question the censorship of the Comics Code Authority in the 1970s; doing so in order that real-life issues could be addressed in the comics of the time.

The last several years had been tough on Stan, first with the death of his dear wife Joan in 2017, and then several lawsuits and even an investigation into reports of elder abuse against Lee. But even with his own health dwindling, Stan Lee was continuously introduced to a new generation of fans due to his regular cameo appearances in the Marvel movies of the superhero film boom we’re currently in the midst of.

Stan changed the game and brought an excitement and drama – be it otherworldly or simply on the streets of Queens – to what so many of us hold dear to this day. And for that, we can only be thankful for the memories.

The thoughts of all here at STARBURST go out to the family, friends, and fans of the legendary Stan Lee.

When all is said and done, Stan Lee really was The Man. ‘Nuff said.

Stan Lee

Second STAR WARS Live-Action TV Show Announced

second star

And it’s a Rogue one! Ahem. Barely leaving Star Wars fans any time at all to process the latest news coming from the set of The Mandalorian, Lucasfilm has dropped the bombshell that a SECOND live-action TV project is already in development, this time focusing on the no-nonsense rebel agent Cassian Andor, with Diego Luna reprising the role.

Given his fate in the final act of Rogue One prohibits any post-Scarif adventures, Cassian might initially seem like an unusual choice of character to hang a narrative on, but when you consider his Rogue One line to Jyn Erso, “I’ve been in this fight since I was six years old”, you start to realise how much story there actually is to mine. Should its producers want, we could even see some more of the Clone Wars through a younger Cassian’s eyes.

Luna has never shied away from expressing his delight at having landed the Rogue One gig, so will no doubt be over the moons with these developments. Prior to this, the character has featured in the sensational Secrets of the Empire hyper reality experience from The Void, too many books to mention, and, perhaps most notably, the Marvel Comics’ Cassian & K-2S0 one-shot. Speaking of which… it’s not been announced as yet, but we’ll wager all our galactic credits on the odds of the dry-witted droid coming along for the ride. Tudyk’s reps will be hammering a deal out as we type!

Expect the untitled Cassian project to follow The Mandalorion sometime in 2020, exclusively on the house of mouse’s spanking new streaming service, Disney+.

Report back for further intel.