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https://nerdist.com/article/monopoly-reality-competition-series-coming-to-netflix-hasbro/
The classic board game Monopoly is on the verge of having a big media moment and resurgence. Not only is there a Monopoly movie in the works from Margot Robbie, but now a reality competition series based on the game has landed on Netflix. News about the reality series broke via Deadline. The streaming giant has had quite a bit of success with reality competition shows based on famous IPs lately. Shows like The Golden Ticket, based on the world of Willy Wonka, for example. Also, the recent Squid Game reality competition series, based on their own scripted TV series.
The synopsis from Hasbro for the forthcoming Monopoly competition series describes it as “A large-scale social-experiment contest. Strategy, alliances, and cutthroat competition will collide as contestants battle for fortune and navigate the fine line between capitalism and chaos. Players will test their friendships, acquire riches, and try to own it all by any means necessary.” Hasbro has found success turning other iconic board games into competition shows, like Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. But perhaps no board game has as much name-brand recognition as Monopoly does. Hasbro absorbed the rights to Monopoly back in 1991.
The original Monopoly board game first hit store shelves exactly 90 years ago, in 1935, from game company Parker Brothers. It was an instant success, capturing the attention of adults and children alike. It has since gone on to sell a staggering 275 million copies around the world. It’s also been translated into dozens of languages. Elements of the game have made their way into the English language vernacular, such as “Get out of jail free card.” There are few board games that can claim that level of pop cultural penetration. There’s no word yet as to when the Monopoly series will go into production, or when the show will drop on Netflix.
The post MONOPOLY Reality Competition Series Finds a Home at Netflix appeared first on Nerdist.
The classic board game Monopoly is on the verge of having a big media moment and resurgence. Not only is there a Monopoly movie in the works from Margot Robbie, but now a reality competition series based on the game has landed on Netflix. News about the reality series broke via Deadline. The streaming giant has had quite a bit of success with reality competition shows based on famous IPs lately. Shows like The Golden Ticket, based on the world of Willy Wonka, for example. Also, the recent Squid Game reality competition series, based on their own scripted TV series.
The synopsis from Hasbro for the forthcoming Monopoly competition series describes it as “A large-scale social-experiment contest. Strategy, alliances, and cutthroat competition will collide as contestants battle for fortune and navigate the fine line between capitalism and chaos. Players will test their friendships, acquire riches, and try to own it all by any means necessary.” Hasbro has found success turning other iconic board games into competition shows, like Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. But perhaps no board game has as much name-brand recognition as Monopoly does. Hasbro absorbed the rights to Monopoly back in 1991.
The original Monopoly board game first hit store shelves exactly 90 years ago, in 1935, from game company Parker Brothers. It was an instant success, capturing the attention of adults and children alike. It has since gone on to sell a staggering 275 million copies around the world. It’s also been translated into dozens of languages. Elements of the game have made their way into the English language vernacular, such as “Get out of jail free card.” There are few board games that can claim that level of pop cultural penetration. There’s no word yet as to when the Monopoly series will go into production, or when the show will drop on Netflix.
The post MONOPOLY Reality Competition Series Finds a Home at Netflix appeared first on Nerdist.
There are so many people to thank for the many comic book films that have been created over the span of two decades. Some were simple introductions to characters that we already know and love, while others were so mind blowing that we can’t even believe we got to see them take place on screen. Prime example would be seeing Hugh Jackman team up with Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine after social media quite literally begged for it to happen.
There are thousands of comic books with arcs that are amazing, but they haven’t been brought to life for whatever reason. Studios like Warner Bros’ DC sector and Marvel often create their own stories but will pull bits and pieces from the source material. This leaves space for the imagination to run wild knowing they aren’t 100% comic book accurate, although many of us wish they were. On the other hand, there are some ideas that were brought to the forefront, teased as possibilities, then poof, never to be heard about again. Let’s take a dive into several comic book arcs that will never be movies.
The Sinister Six
Oh boy, did we think this was slowly forming into the next big thing since the Avengers. When members of the Sinister Six started popping up in films left and right, we just KNEW we were in for a box office smash the moment creatives decided they were ready to write this project. Then, they left us hanging.
While there are many associates to the villainous team, the primary members are Doc Ock, Sandman, Kraven the Hunter, Electro, Mysterio, and Vulture. Each of those characters have now been played on screen, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson being the latest one in last year’s poorly received Kraven the Hunter. When we first met Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) in Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 2, nerds everywhere were geeking out at the thought of what they were potentially forming. Then a few years go by and we are teased yet again when we are introduced to Electro (Jamie Foxx) in Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Those films never got their third installment (tragic, as Garfield is a great Peter Parker), but more years pass and we get a young Tom Holland ready to play with our heart strings again. These films included incredible side characters like Vulture (Batman, I mean: Michael Keaton) and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), and it was at that moment where Marvel Studios had the perfect opportunity to really give the people what they wanted — then they didn’t.
Many speculate the real reason was the business aspect of the battle for character rights between Sony and Disney (who owns Marvel), but that has long been resolved. Whatever the reason is, not having a Sinister 6 film when it’s a prominent story line within Marvel’s original comic books is a tragedy. I know they say never say never, but with the way Kraven flopped, it’s safe to say this won’t become a reality in this multiverse.
Spider-Man vs. Venom
I know what you’re thinking: “We did get this in Spider-Man 3 between Maguire and Topher Grace’s Venom!” No… no we did not because we have erased that memory from existence. Sure, it happened, but it was so diluted by the many villains in the film that it didn’t get a proper platform to thrive. Not to mention, Grace’s take on the character wasn’t as dark or enjoyable as he could have been given that he was an extremely awful casting choice.
The real robbery occurred when we were given a post credit scene of Tom Hardy’s Venom at the conclusion of Spider-Man: No Way Home, tempting us with the idea that he could face off against Holland’s Peter Parker, giving us the match-up we really deserve. In true Marvel fashion, that never transpired into anything as Hardy had his final role as Eddie Brock in Venom: The Last Dance last October. With Venom being one of the biggest villains in the Marvel catalogue, it’s quite sad knowing we won’t get to see that ultimate match up. I mean, with three Venom flicks, it was wild we didn’t even get a glimpse of what Spidey was doing the entire time (like, how are you both running around in New York doing vigilante stuff and not cross paths?)
So to put it quite plainly, we were robbed, especially given that, while all three Spider-Man actors are extremely great, Hardy was such an entertaining Eddie Brock, and we may not get another like him.
Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel Sequel
This take might not be so much comic book related, but more so on the film aspect since Henry Cavill is arguably the best Superman we’ve gotten as of late (many may stand on the idea that Christopher Reeve is the best, but to each their own). Man of Steel is a masterpiece and the casting director that landed on Cavill deserves endless praise as he is such a phenomenal Clark Kent. He has the looks, the build, and the persona to play a hero in disguise and fans were eagerly awaiting a sequel to the highly successful first installment that released back in 2013. But not only did we not get it, it was recently announced that Cavill was no longer going to be playing Kent as James Gunn chose to go a different direction with the character and recast.
This stunned many as it didn’t make much sense. Cavill is still in his prime and gave no signs of being done playing Superman, so why the switch up? Social media was in a frenzy when Cavill announced he was hanging up his cape. Fast forward to now where we have a new actor stepping into the role, with many noticing his uncanny resemblance to Cavill himself; 29-year-old David Corenswet will don the S on his chest in this year’s Superman: Legacy, marking his first major role (you may recall seeing him in Twisters this past summer).
Regardless of our broken hearts of not seeing Man of Steel 2 become a reality, we can’t knock the fact that Superman: Legacy actually looks good, might I say? Only time will tell as the film is set to release July 11, 2025.
The post Comic Book Arcs That Will Never Be Movies appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
When I first saw the To Be Hero X trailer about a year ago, I was immediately impressed by its heightened sense of style and visual language. The blending of 2D and 3D animation is a difficult line to walk, and the not quite 90 second trailer managed to do so deftly. The warping of perspective and dimension to a hypnotic soundtrack was utterly captivating and barely knowing the premise other than “superhero,” I was sold. So when the screener for the pilot became available, I knew I had to see what the whole world was about.
As it turns out, To Be Hero X is set in a world where Trust (colloquially, public approval, and belief) has a physical, tangible benefit. If the world has entrusted you Trust, you have superpowers. However, even if you had some sort of innate special power, a lack of Trust can actually strip you of your powers.
As such, the vibe of To Be Hero X sort of stands in an entirely different corner of the world than its peers. It’s not a straight up parody like One-Punch Man, nor is it a diehard love letter to the genre like My Hero Academia. Instead, it falls in a sort of realm of playful deconstruction. A little more cynical outlook on large scale organizations managing heroes, but it is certainly a lot more optimistic than say The Boys.
It surprised me how it played with conventions I have seen time and time again, while still feeling fresh. Although, no small part of that is due to the stellar animation. The blend of 2D and 3D works just as well in the opening trailer, accentuating different tones and story beats perfectly. It’s visually delightful, and while busy at times, always feels incredibly easy to read. Lots of different techniques are used in tandem to create something that looks like nothing else on the market (not quite Into the Spider-verse levels of innovation, but it’s still remarkable).
The music’s fantastic. The pilot moves quick (don’t expect story beats explained here. Y’all need to watch it for yourselves), and I am already itching for the next episode.
To Be Hero X is so good that I am planning to revisit a different Haolin Lee work, Link Click, something that ironically didn’t quite click the first go around, but To Be Hero X is that good. It’s really heartening to see CrunchyRoll expand what anime looks like and functionally is, as this series is a collaboration betwen bilibili and aniplex, making it both anime and donghua (Chinese animation).
It is kinetic, it is original, it is just getting started, and if you like superheroics, this is gonna be a must-watch for sure.
To Be Hero X premieres April 5 at 5:30 PM PT only on Crunchyroll!
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The post ‘To Be Hero X’ is Unlike Any Other Superhero Story I’ve Seen, and That Says Many Things appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.