BIG HERO 6: THE SERIES Set for June Premiere

Big Hero 6

One of the most hotly anticipated animated efforts of 2018 is Disney’s Big Hero 6: The Series. Well, now comes confirmation on exactly when the show will premiere.

In an official statement, the House of Mouse revealed that Big Hero 6: The Series will debut with back-to-back episodes on June 9th and June 10th. From there, a new episode will air each and every Sunday at 9am.

Be sure to find the full press release below:

Executive producers McCorkle and Schooley said: “The ‘Big Hero 6: The Series’ crew has been busy cooking up exciting new adventures for Hiro, his best friend Baymax, and the rest of the Big Hero 6 team as they continue their journey together in San Fransokyo. We cannot wait for the audience to come along for the fast and funny ride.”

Big Hero 6: The Series, based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award-winning feature film, continues the adventures and friendship of 14-year-old tech genius Hiro, his compassionate, cutting-edge robot Baymax, and their friends Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Go Go, and Fred as they form the legendary superhero team Big Hero 6 and embark on high-tech adventures as they protect their city from an array of scientifically enhanced villains. In his normal day-to-day life, Hiro faces daunting academic challenges and social trials as the new prodigy at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.

The Big Hero 6: The Series voice cast includes Maya Rudolph as Aunt Cass; Ryan Potter as Hiro; Scott Adsit as Baymax; Jamie Chung as Go Go; Alan Tudyk as Alistair Krei; Khary Payton as Wasabi; Genesis Rodriguez as Honey Lemon; Brooks Wheelan as Fred; David Shaughnessy as Heathcliff; and Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee as Fred’s dad. Recurring guest voice vast includes Jenifer Lewis as Professor Granville; Haley Tju as Karmi; Andrew Scott as Obake; and Andy Richter as Globby.

Beginning Thursday, May 31, shorts featuring Baymax will debut across Disney Channel, DisneyNow, and Disney Channel YouTube. A line of consumer products will be available on shopDisney.com on May 1, at Disney store on June 1, and at retailers nationwide on July 1. A DVD from Walt Disney Studios titled Big Hero 6 The Series: Back in Action! will be released on June 26.

Emmy Award-nominated Christy Carlson Romano reunites with the creative team of the global hit Disney Channel series Kim Possible — Emmy Award-winning producers Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley, and Nick Filippi — when she guest stars as bot-fighter Trina.

Additional guest voice cast includes celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Alton Brown as cooking competition participant Bolton Gramercy and host Yum Laboughè, while Daniel Henney (Criminal Minds) and James Cromwell (The Young Pope) reprise their feature film roles as Hiro’s brother Tadashi and Professor Callaghan. Susan Sullivan (Castle) voices Fred’s mother, with John Michael Higgins (Pitch Perfect) playing Fred’s sidekick robot Mini-Max. Diedrich Bader (American Housewife) voices pompous local TV reporter Bluff Dunder; Sean Giambrone (The Goldbergs) is Fred’s geeky archival Richardson Mole; Naoko Mori (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) is thief-for-hire Momakase; Lucas Neff (Raising Hope) plays fast food mascot Noodle Burger Boy; and Mara Wilson (Matilda) voices Liv Amara, the self-made billionaire.

In addition to McCorkle and Schooley, Emmy Award-winning Nick Filippi serves as executive producer and supervising director. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation and carries a TVY7-FV parental guideline.

Netflix’s WITCHER Could Premiere in 2020

The Witcher

One of the upcoming projects that has the attention of many a genre fan is the Witcher series that Netflix is developing, and now comes an update on when we might see the show debut on the small screen.

Executive producer/writer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has taken to Twitter to confirm that the series could tentatively premiere in 2020, and she’s also given a few additional details.

The Witcher began life as a bestselling book series from Andrzej Sapkowski, with it then being turned into a massively successful video game franchise. Elsewhere, there has been a comic book title and also a Polish TV take. The loose gist of the property sees it centre on a travelling monster hunter who has to battle his way through a medieval fantasy world.

Kevin Feige Open to MCU Horror Movies

Blade Ghost Rider Marvel

In its decade-long run to date, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has shown that there really are no restrictions to the scale, scope and direction of this shared realm, and now head honcho Kevin Feige has discussed the possibility of adding a dollop of horror to the MCU.

Throughout the history of Marvel Comics, we’ve seen plentiful horror-driven characters and titles given their time in the spotlight – most notably stories guided by names such as Blade, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Strange.

When asked by ComicBook.com about whether the MCU could at some point head down a horror avenue with somebody like Blade or Man-Thing, Feige explained, “I like both of those characters that you named and I think, again, horror can mean a lot of things. Horror, did you mean a movie like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Hotel or Friday the 13th or a Poltergeist? Poltergeist is a little bit more my wheelhouse. That’s such a great movie and it scared the heck out of me, but it’s really fun. I certainly would like to play with as many genres as possible.”

In the past few years, the landscape of comic book movies has changed slightly. Most notably, Marvel Studios has taken the action to the stars with Guardians of the Galaxy and its follow-up, and the current plan is to develop a whole Marvel Cosmic Universe that will be based around a whole array of intergalactic, otherworldly characters. Then you’ve had 20th Century Fox putting a more adult-orientated spin on proceedings with Deadpool, Logan and the upcoming Deadpool 2, not to mention going full-on horror with Josh Boone’s The New Mutants.

One of the key factors to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far is that it always attempts to keep things fresh and ever-expanding, whether that’s its roster of characters or the direction of its storytelling. As such, looking to add a splash of horror to the MCU could well be a natural and logical step.

Up next for the MCU, of course, is the hotly anticipated, game-changing Avengers: Infinity War – which hits cinemas later this week!

GOOSEBUMPS Sequel Gets a New Title

Goosebumps Slappy

It appears as if the upcoming Goosebumps sequel has undergone yet another title change.

Previously, the film was known as simply Goosebumps 2, then that became Slappy’s Revenge, which became Slappy Halloween, and somewhere down the line it was even known as Horrorland. And now, CinemaCon has seen the new title revealed as Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween.

On board for the sequel are The Goldbergs’ Wendi McLendon-Covey, Anchorman’s Chris Parnell, The Hangover’s Ken Jeong, Castle Rock’s Caleel Harris, IT’s Jeremy Ray Taylor, Stranger Things’ Peyton Wich, and Manchester by the Sea’s Ben O’Brien.

At this stage, it’s still not confirmed whether Jack Black will actually be returning for Goosebumps 2, although the last we’d heard it looked likely that he would indeed be back to play R.L. Stine – although new rumours suggest that he could actually be voicing Slappy this time out. The Duff’s Ari Sandel takes over the director’s chair from Rob Letterman this time out, although right now it looks as if this year’s October release date is likely to get pushed back.

Plot-wise, the sequel is rumoured to focus on a group of three friends who are tasked with stopping the nefarious dummy, Slappy, from launching the Halloween apocalypse.

Expect more on Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween as it continues to develop.

Bruce Campbell is “Retired as Ash”

Ash vs. Evil Dead

After months of speculation, last week saw us finally given the news that we’d all been dreading: that Starz had decided to cancel Ash vs. Evil Dead after three seasons. Well now Bruce Campbell has moved to reveal that he’s officially retiring from the Ash gig, period.

Previously, Campbell had said that should Ash vs. Evil Dead end up scrapped then there would likely be a new Evil Dead movie. Only days later, the star moved to say that any cancellation of the series would mean that that was that where Ashley J. Williams was concerned.

Given the passionate fanbase that Ash vs. Evil Dead has, this past weekend has seen fans rallying to try and get Netflix to pick up the show to continue it to a fourth season and beyond. Campbell has poured cold water on any hopes of seeing the show return, taking to social media to clarify that is sadly retiring from the role.

Of course, those clinging on for some hope of something Evil Dead living on, there are ways to continue the franchise in some form or fashion. For example, there’s always the possibility of continuing with the narrative of Fede Alvarez’s impressive Evil Dead remake, or there could even be a slim chance of Ash vs. Evil Dead continuing without Ash. Regardless, it sadly seems that Bruce Campbell is completely done with one of the most iconic roles in genre history.

FrightFest Announces New Headline Sponsor

arrow frightfest

FrightFest, the annual leading horror film festival has announced their new headline sponsor: Arrow Video!

Mike Hewitt, Brand Marketing Manager for Arrow Video, said: “As a long-time fan of FrightFest, Arrow Video are incredibly excited to be partnered with FrightFest for a year-long sponsorship. The festival is without a doubt the UK’s premiere genre event and is a perfect match for our premiere genre label, especially since we have been recently expanding our output to include fresh, new genre and horror films to bolster our incredible catalogue of classics. We are hugely looking forward to working with the FrightFest team to bring some exciting elements to 2018’s main event.”

FrightFest co-director Ian Rattray added: “FrightFest is thrilled to welcome Arrow Video into the fold as our new headline sponsor. They have been a passionate supporter for many years, not just in terms of providing films and community support, but also as a key sponsor in recent years.
We are delighted to welcome Mike and the rest of the Arrow team onboard to celebrate the horror fantasy genre on an even wider canvas than before, something followers of both of our brands will appreciate”.

Arrow Video becomes the third headline sponsor in the festival’s history, following in the footsteps of Film4 and Horror Channel.

Arrow Video FrightFest 2018 will house its annual 5-day August Bank Holiday event at the Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema from August 23rd – August 27th. Full programme details will be revealed nearer the time.

arrow frightfest

Verne Troyer 1969 – 2018

verne troyer

Verne Troyer, who portrayed the miniature counterpart to the diabolical Dr, Evil in the Austin Powers series, has passed away at the age of 49.

Born on January 1st, 1969 in Sturgis, Michigan, the 2’8” actor held a variety of jobs, including working in a candy factory.

Mr. Troyer then began his acting career after completing high school and moving with some friends to Arlington, Texas where his first big break was doubling stunts in Baby’s Day Out for the title character. This lead to future roles as stuntman then as an actor performing his own stunts as no one was able to double for him due to his diminutive size.

As one of the smallest men in the world, he usually portrayed costumed characters in television and movie roles, though his performance as an actor shined in several shows such as Shasta McNasty, Jingle All the Way as the miniature Santa and Hard Cash.

Mr. Troyer enjoyed acting and making people laugh. He was a true entertainer.

STARBURST sends our heartfelt thoughts to his family and friends.

ASH VS. EVIL DEAD Cancelled After Three Seasons

Ash vs. Evil Dead

No, no, no, no, no! We’d all hoped that the rumblings of this happening were all just scaremongering and falsities, but alas not. Yes, as the headline says, Ash vs. Evil Dead has been cancelled.

Star Bruce Campbell took to his social media channels to break the sad news:

If there’s one slight silver lining, Campbell has previously stated how the minds behind the show had purposely made the upcoming season finale episode in a way where it could serve as a series finale should Starz pull the plug on the show. And sadly, the network has indeed opted to cancel the series.

In the US, the series finale will air on April 29th, with the show airing on Virgin Media here in the UK.

Thanks for the memories, Ash. It truly has been groovy, and hopefully we can do it again at some point down the line.

Guillermo del Toro Signs with DreamWorks Animation

Guillermo del Toro

For genre fans, Guillermo del Toro has been viewed as a master of his craft for many a year. And earlier this year, of course, that genius was finally recognised by the Academy as del Toro’s The Shape of Water nabbed four awards at the Oscars – including the Best Director and Best Picture gongs. And now, we have word on yet another new project for the iconic GDT.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that del Toro was announced as overseeing a new genre banner for Fox Searchlight Pictures, and now he’s gone on to sign a multiple-year deal to develop a slew of animated efforts for DreamWorks.

On this news, Guillermo told The Hollywood Reporter, “Animation is an art form that has influenced my work greatly since childhood. To me, it’s the perfect medium to bring to life any and all ideas, no matter how outlandish or wild. I am eager to work with [DreamWorks Animation’s Chris deFaria] and the talented artists at DreamWorks – some of the most talented people in the business – to make these images a reality. I have worked with DreamWorks for about a decade, and the horizon just keeps getting wider.”

When it comes to ongoing projects, Guillermo del Toro is continuously one of the busiest men in the game, with him forever with his fingers in plentiful pies. Most notably, del Toro has his hotly-anticipated take on Pinocchio in development.

Expect more on any and all of del Toro’s upcoming projects as they continue to develop.

GOOSEBUMPS Sequel Adds Peyton Wich

Peyton Wich

With a Goosebumps sequel currently in development, the follow-up to the 2015 Jack Black-starrer has moved to bring in Peyton Wich.

As per Bloody-Disgusting, Wich has landed an unknown role in the sequel, with the young actor being familiar to genre fans for his appearances in Stranger Things and Mr. Mercedes.

Wich joins a cast that currently includes The Goldbergs’ Wendi McLendon-Covey, Anchorman’s Chris Parnell, The Hangover’s Ken Jeong, Castle Rock’s Caleel Harris, IT’s Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Manchester by the Sea’s Ben O’Brien.

At this stage, it’s still not confirmed whether Jack Black will actually be returning for Goosebumps 2, although the last we’d heard it looked likely that he would indeed be back to play R.L. Stine. The Duff’s Ari Sandel takes over the director’s chair from Rob Letterman this time out, although right now it looks as if this year’s October release date is likely to get pushed back.

Plot-wise, the sequel is rumoured to focus on a group of three friends who are tasked with stopping the nefarious dummy, Slappy, from launching the Halloween apocalypse.

Expect more on Goosebumps 2 as it continues to develop.