Anson Mount Joins STAR TREK: DISCOVERY

Anson Mount

With Star Trek: Discovery having impressed many a genre fan with its debut season, now comes word on a new addition for the show’s second year.

As revealed by CBS, Anson Mount has signed on to play Captain Christopher Pike in the series. Mount is likely best known to genre fans for Hell on Wheels and for playing Black Bolt in the disappointing Inhumans, and the Captain Pike character is actually the captain of the USS Enterprise prior to James T. Kirk taking the helm. While Pike has been seen in a couple of episodes of the original Star Trek show, more recently the character was played by Bruce Greenwood in the rebooted cinematic Trek franchise.

Right now, details on Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery are being kept under wraps, but expect more on the return of this mightily impressive show as we get it.

Colton Haynes Returning to ARROW

Colton Haynes Roy Harper Arsenal Arrow

Having exited the show back in its third season, it’s now been confirmed that Colton Haynes will be making a full-time return to Arrow.

As per Entertainment Weekly, Haynes’ Roy Harper will once again become a permanent member of the hugely popular CW show when it begins its recently-confirmed seventh season. The character has actually made a few brief returns since that third season departure, and now we know that he’ll be fully back in the fold of Team Arrow and Star City.

A protégé of Oliver Queen’s who went under the moniker of Arsenal, Roy was a main player of the fan favourite series up until he exited the series in the third season. That exit was a huge moment for the show, with Roy pretending to be the Arrow and then faking his own death.

Right now, Arrow is in the final half of its sixth season, so expect to get more specific details on Roy Harper’s full-time return once this current season comes to a close.

Hex Studios Announce AUTOMATA Kickstarter

Automata

The next film from Hex Studios – the team that brought us Lord of Tears, The Unkindness of Ravens, and The Black Gloves – has been announced and is already lighting up Kickstarter.

Automata, described by director Lawrie Brewster and writer Sarah Daly as a Gothic thriller, has already raised nearly £20,000 after less than 3 hours.

The film stars Hex Studios’ regulars Jamie Scott Gordon (The Black Gloves, Bonejangles) and Alexandra Nicole Hulme (Lord of Tears, The Black Gloves), alongside Erich Redman (The Danish Girl, Woman in Gold), Jonathan Hansler (The Devil’s Business) and rising star Victoria Lucie (Dartmoor Killing). The film tells the story of an antiques expert sent to authenticate a three-hundred-year-old clockwork doll with a notorious history, the ‘Infernal Princess’. He soon comes under its corrupting influence, and, along with his stepdaughter Rose, finds himself the target of dark forces beyond his control.

According to director Lawrie Brewster, “Automata is a wild, Gothic thrill-ride inspired by the decadence of Ken Russell’s Gothic, as well as the sensual expressionism of Argento’s Suspiria and Bava’s Black Sabbath. It’s by far the most ambitious film we’ve produced, with a truly epic story that switches between the 1700s and the present day to reveal the truth behind the curse of the ‘Infernal Princess’.”

Writer Sarah Daly alludes to the film’s edgy themes. “The film explores how someone’s idea of love can be perverted by experience, and how that corruption can echo through the ages. It goes to some very dark places, basically!”

Among some of the perks available is a plush toy version of their infamous creation the Owlman and a special book of monsters created by the team.

Automata is an international co-production between Hex Studios and long-time partners Dark Dunes Productions, in association with Needle’s Eye Productions, and Executive Producers Nick Ford, Greg Orsi and Richard Pate. The film is set for release in December 2018.

To get involved, head over to the Kickstarter page.

Kickstarter Launches for Issue 2 of MANDY THE MONSTER HUNTER’s Most Terrifying Tale Yet

Mandy the Monster Hunter: Legend of the Spindly Man #2

Earlier this year, we were lucky enough to check out Hellbound Media’s latest offering, Mandy the Monster Hunter: Legend of the Spindly Man #1. And now, we’re pleased to report that the Kickstarter campaign is now underway for the second issue of this spellbinding tale.

In reviewing the first issue of Legend of the Spindly Man, we gave it an impressive 9/10 rating, stating, “Mandy herself is a fearless, fierce champion of the world’s youth, and just as fearless and fierce is the bold decision from Matt Warner and Mark Adams to deliver such a truly terrifying villain that genuinely has you questioning how Mandy can topple her latest foe as this miniseries progresses.” 

To say we were wowed by this latest Hellbound Media effort is quite the understatement, which is why it’s great news to see that issue #2 of this story is on the way.

The official word from Hellbound on this latest campaign reads:

We successfully funded the first issue of “The Legend of the Spindly Man” on Kickstarter at the start of the year, and now we’re offering the same opportunity for you to pre-order and be among the first to get hold of “Chapter Two”. New to “Mandy the Monster Hunter”? No worries, as you can pick up the first issue as well as part of this Kickstarter campaign, and join Mandy on her mission to defeat the Spindly Man… if she can!

The art work is 100% completed, the book is being lettered and the printer is ready and waiting to go ahead. The book is happening, but at a cost. We want to bring the entire series out within a year and it is only with your help that we can make this viable. Pre-ordering your book gets you numerous rewards and guarantees you as one of the first to grab a copy as they will be sent out the moment the campaign ends and your surveys are returned to us. You also get our eternal thanks for helping support indie comics. So if you love monsters, scary stories, comics, jump into the world of “Mandy the Monster Hunter” and support our kickstarter!

To give you an insight on the plot of Legend of the Spindly Man, the synopsis for the tale can be found below:

The story of the Spindly Man has been uncovered. He has come to take the children away. One by one, he abducts his victims, and a town mourns. Mandy the Monster Hunter is their best hope for salvation. Her name is whispered on the playground, a legend among the children of the world. Whatever creature troubles you, when the adults won’t listen, it is Mandy that can help you out. All you need to do is draw a picture of the beast, and it will reach her.

She’s the thing that the things in the dark are afraid of…

Until now.

Because The Spindly Man is something even Mandy has not faced before. Her first encounter has already led to one death, and Mandy herself nearly fell victim to the entity.

Mandy was the children’s last hope… …but what if even she cannot stop the spread of his curse…?

For full details on the Kickstarter campaign for the second issue of Mandy the Monster Hunter: Legend of the Spindly Man, be sure to head on over to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hellboundmedia/mandythemonsterhunter.

Isao Takahata 1935 – 2018

Isao Takahata

Legendary Japanese film director and Studio Ghibli legend Isao Takahata has died aged 82.

Born in 1935, he worked predominantly in animation movies and TV despite not being an animator himself. Early successes include Hols: Prince of the Sun and Panda! Go, Panda! as well as small screen series such as Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Future Boy Conan.

Takahata headed the anime studio with Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki when it founded in 1985 and they had worldwide success. Takahata’s first film as director for the company was Grave of the Fireflies and his final film was The Tale of Princess Kaguya, which gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film in 2015.

Everyone at STARBURST sends their thoughts to Isao’s family and friends.

New GRUDGE Movie Set for August 2019

Ju-on The Grudge

With a new Grudge movie set to start shooting next month, the latest reboot has now been given a set release date.

For those eagerly awaiting the next outing for this famed horror franchise, be sure to pencil August 16th, 2019 in to your diary – for that’s the date that this to-be-titled Grudge effort will be hitting the big screen.

Already on board to star in this new Grudge picture are genre faves Lin Shaye, Demian Bichir, John Cho, and Andrea Riseborough.

The Eyes of My Mother’s Nicolas Pesce is on board to write and direct this refresh of an old favourite, with Pesce reworking a script previously put in place by Midnight Meat Train’s Jeff Buhler.

The Grudge, of course, was originally released in 2002 under the Ju-on title. That Japanese horror was then given a more Western skew with the 2004-starring Sarah Michelle Geller remake. That, though, was not simply it for the franchise, with a whopping eleven Ju-on or Grudge movies to date, plus several short films, video games, and graphic novels.

FX Orders Y: THE LAST MAN Pilot

Y: The Last Man

With a live-action adaptation of the famed Y: The Last Man have been in some form of development for an age now, longtime fans of the property will be pleased to hear that FX Networks has ordered a pilot for the long-gestating TV adaptation of the series.

Direct from FX themselves, Presidents of Original Programming Nick Grad and Eric Schrier confirmed the news, adding that Melina Matsoukas will be directing the pilot episode.

As reported back in 2016, American Gods’s Michael Green and Marvel’s Luke Cage’s Aida Mashaka Croal will be serving as showrunners on the small screen effort, with the pair executive producing alongside Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, and Y: The Last Man creator Brian K. Vaughan.

To be titled simply Y, the early blurb on the show reads:

All of the men are dead. But one. Based on the DC comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, Y traverses a world of women – exploring gender, race, class and survival.

For those not familiar with Y: The Last Man, the 60-issue comic book series ran from 2002 to 2008 and focussed on Yorick Brown, the titular “last man”. When the world suffers a tragic event that kills off every creature with a Y chromosome, Yorick only has his monkey, Ampersand, for company until he finds himself teaming up with a government operative to make sense of what’s happened and why he’s somehow managed to stay alive.

Previously, several attempts have been made to get an adaptation of the property off the ground, most notably with ultimately-doomed live-action movies in 2007 and 2013. Now though, it seems as if we’re finally going to see this fan favourite comic series brought to life, albeit in the medium of TV – which, if we’re being honest, is likely the best format to tell such an engaging story.

Karl Urban to Headline Amazon’s THE BOYS Adaptation

Karl Urban The Boys Billy Butcher

As Amazon Studios’ upcoming adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s The Boys continues to flesh out its cast, it’s made the move to bring in Karl Urban to lead the charge.

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, Urban has joined the series in the lead role of Billy Butcher. The official word on Billy has him pegged as “the leader of The Boys who holds a personal and secret agenda as he enlists the help of a man torn apart by his girlfriend’s death at the hands of a superhero along with the rest of the squad.”

Urban will join a cast that currently includes Jack Quaid, Laz Alonso, Anthony Sarr, Dominique McElligott, Chace Crwaford, Jessie T. Usher, Nathan Mitchell, and Erin Moriarty.

For those not familiar with The Boys, the comic series ran from 2006 up until 2012, focussing on a group who keep superheroes in check when needed. With plenty of R-rated adult-driven action, the series soon became a favourite of many comic book fans, particularly for how it often gave skewed and alternative views on a whole host of superhero staples.

Supernatural’s Eric Kripke has created the series and will serve as showrunner, with Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen directing. Goldberg and Rogen, of course, having already brilliantly adapted Preacher for the small screen.

The Boys will premiere its eight-episode first season on Amazon Video next year.

Watch Fantastic Short MR DENTONN Online Now!

Mr Dentonn

Readers of the Independents Day column in STARBURST Magazine will remember a few months ago (in Issue 444 to be precise) we interviewed Ivan Villamel and reviewed his short Mr Dentonn. We’re now proud to unveil that very short for you to view now.

 “On a cold winter night, Laura reads his brother David the story of a strange creature that attacks children. Suddenly, a shiver runs Laura’s body, feeling a strange presence in the house. It’s him”

Mr.Dentonn is directed by Ivan Villamel, produced by Harmonica Films & Mordisco Films, and stars Irene Aguilar, Kaiet Rodriguez, and Ander Pardo. It has broken records in its genre, becoming the most award-winning and selected horror short film of all time worldwide, with 500 official selections and more than 120 international awards, in addition to more than 1200 award nominations and 1500 screenings around the world.

It’s a tribute to the fantastic cinema of the ‘80s and is influenced by the first films of John Carpenter, who the creators all admire, and the films of Amblin. It utilises the classic figure of the boogeyman to show to tell a very original version of a myth, with the titular character being a thief of souls.

Its creators are already working to find funding for the feature film project in which they will fully develop the mythology of the character. In the meantime, enjoy Mr Dentonn in all its glory.

“Mr.Dentonn” – Horror/Fantasy Short from Iván Villamel on Vimeo.

Gary Whitta Working on a New THE LAST STARFIGHTER

The Last Starfighter

With seemingly nothing off bounds in terms of remakes, reboots, reimaginings, and rehashes, yet another old favourite is getting a fresh lick of paint for a new generation.

As the headline says, a new take on 1984’s The Last Starfighter is in development, with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s Gary Whitta co-writing the screenplay alongside the writer of the original movie, Jonathan Betuel.

Not only that, Whitta went one further to showcase some concept art on his social media channels; concept art as created by Matt Allsopp.

Speaking to i09 about the redo, Whitta enthused, “It is a deeply special movie for me. The idea that playing a game could be a magic ticket to a real space adventure, I just always thought that concept was utterly brilliant.”

Whitta added that he and Betuel have got together and discussed what is now “a fully developed story that is a combination of reboot and sequel that we both think honors the legacy of the original film while passing the torch to a new generation. We’re both very excited about it creatively.”

While a new Last Starfighter film is indeed in development, Whitta went on to clarify that there are still some things to sort on the business side of the project, and that initial talks have been ongoing with Universal about finding a home for the film.

For those unfamiliar with the original ’84 movie, the Nick Castle-directed effort saw Lance Guest as a teenager who gets the high score on a video game that saw the player involved in an alien battle up in the stars. Due to this, the game’s creator gets in touch with Guest’s Alex and reveals that the game was actually a training programme of sorts, and before you know it Alex is whisked up to partake in the very real battle between the Rylan Star League and the Ko-Dan Empire.

As ever, expect more on all of this as it continues to develop.