Random Nerdery: Black Panther, Adam West RIP, Bioware’s Anthem & Netflix’s Godzilla Anime
Random Nerdery is a regular Opus feature covering the latest nerdiness from the worlds of film, TV, literature, comic books, video games, technology, web development, and more.
Black Panther
Arguably the biggest bit of recent nerd news was the release of a teaser trailer for Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther movie (which will be released next February). The movie picks up after the events of Captain America: Civil War, where the character made his first movie appearance, as he struggles to hold onto his throne in the reclusive African nation of Wakanda.
The trailer doesn’t give away too much action; instead, it focuses on the setting and diversity of the film’s cast (which is packed with names like Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, and Forest Whitaker). In a word or two, it looks as solid as one would expect from a Marvel film, which has me excited; Black Panther was one of the best parts of Captain America: Civil War.
Not surprisingly, io9 has a pretty thorough breakdown of the trailer.
Adam West, 1928 – 2017
This weekend brought the sad news that Adam West, best known for portraying Batman in the 1960s ABC series, died after battling leukemia. I have very fond childhood memories of watching ABC’s ultra-campy Batman, complete with funky soundtrack, flashing on-screen POWs and BAMs every time the dynamic duo punched a bad guy for justice, and most of all, West’s ultra-straight take on the Caped Crusader.
West’s Batman is a far cry from the gritty, grimdark version of the character we’ve become used to now, both on screen and in the comics. I mean, his was a Batman who had a surf-off with the Joker, who fought an exploding shark while dangling from the Batcopter, who corrected Robin’s grammar in the middle of the fight, and who danced the Batusi, for crying out loud.
io9 has a nice breakdown of West’s career, as well as his legacy as the “Bright Knight.”
Bioware Announces the Destiny-esque Anthem
Bioware used this year’s E3 to announce their latest video game, Anthem, and debut the above gameplay trailer. The game has been compared to the likes of Destiny (due to its squad-based combat and storyline), Horizon Zero Dawn (due to its lush design and art style), and Titanfall (due to its mecha-based content).
Bioware received flak for Mass Effect: Andromeda and its troubled production. Anthem, however, represents a brand new IP and world, and given Bioware’s track record in the past, I’m still intrigued by whatever the studio releases. Anthem will be released this fall, just in time to go up against Destiny 2.
Netflix Announces Godzilla Anime Trilogy
Netflix has released a number of acclaimed anime titles, including Knights of Sidonia and Blame!. But one of their upcoming anime titles will feature one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time: Godzilla.
Interestingly, Netflix’s Godzilla anime — which is officially titled Godzilla: Monster Planet (a title that makes it ten times cooler) — is set in the far distant future. There, the last remnants of humanity return to Earth after 20,000 years and discover the planet “has become an unknown world with the ecosystem reigned by Godzilla” (full synopsis here).
There will actually be three Godzilla anime movies, with the first arriving later this year. It’ll be directed by Kôbun Shizuno (Soul Buster, Knights of Sidonia) and Hiroyuki Seshita (Blame!, Knights of Sidonia), and written by Gen Urobuchi (Thunderbolt Fantasy, Psycho-Pass).