Warner Brothers Games début a new video game series set in the Lord of the Rings universe next year.
Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment have today announced the development of Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor for release next year. A fantasy action video game set in the universe of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson's adaptations of Tolkien's novels, the title will be available for both current-generation and next-generation hardware upon its release.
The player will take on the role of a Ranger who was resurrected after his murder and the demises of his family at the hands of Sauron's forces. This protagonist now strives to battle the influence of the tyrannical Lord of Darkness, in a narrative which takes place in parallel to the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Gameplay details are thin at this stage, save for that Warner Brothers are branding the experience an "original, dark story of retribution". Now all that remains to see is whether the project's developers can escape the onslaught of mediocrity tied with the vast majority of LOTR video game experiences so far.
Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor retails on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in Autumn 2014.
In the final development of a sweep of delays, Walt Disney's hugely exciting sci-fi will now open its doors in 2015...
Walt Disney Pictures have today confirmed a delay for their upcoming science-fiction drama film Tomorrowland. Starring Brit Robertson, George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, the movie centres on the titular fictitious 'land' located in Disneyland theme parks across the world, though quite what its narrative entails has yet to be revealed.
By moving this project back to a Summer of Film 2015 release, Disney have simultaneously exhibited a fair degree of confidence in its box office prospects and robbed themselves of another 2014 film launch. Next year, the ever-growing studio will release Muppets Most Wanted, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Planes: Fire and Rescue, Guardians of the Galaxy, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Big Hero 6, McFarland and Into The Woods, which at least means they are scarcely lacking for original or franchise content, but that doesn't make it any less of a disappointment that Tomorrowland will elude our grasp for a considerable extra length of time!
Tomorrowland opens its gates to the world on May 22nd, 2015.
Michael Fassbender's time-travelling video game adaptation will set sail later than expected!
20th Century Fox have today announced the delays of two of their upcoming film projects. Firstly, their science-fiction video game adaptation Assassin's Creed will shift from its June 2015 release date to a later window in the Summer of Film 2015. On top of that, their much-anticipated thriller sequel Independence Day 2 will depart 2015's roster altogether.
It's safe to say that Independence Day 2's setback is hardly the greatest surprise of 2013. The follow-up project has been laden with production hitches in the past, and Fox clearly need further time to refine what could be a sensational blockbuster that lands a sublime box office. Assassin's Creed's issues weren't quite so simple to predict, although for the most part that The Fantastic Four was yesterday delayed to a June 19th, 2015 release is probably the major cause of the alteration.
Assassin's Creed performs a leap of faith into cinemas worldwide on August 7th, 2015 and Independence Day 2 launches on July 1st, 2016.
The Fantastic-Mobile won't mobilize quite as early as expected, thanks to a setback from Fox!
Fox Studios have today announced a delay in the release scheduling of their upcoming superhero film The Fantastic Four. A reboot of the titular franchise after the underwhelming reception to Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), the narrative of this third instalment is shrouded in secrecy, though we do know that Kick-Ass' scribe Mark Millar has been an aid during production.
The reboot in question now finds itself inhabiting the increasingly dangerous Summer of Film period in 2015. Granted, Star Wars Episode VII is temporarily out of the equation, yet Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and Batman Vs. Superman are all still remaining for Fox to deal with before striving outside of the superhero genre's target audience. Given the lukewarm box office success of previous chapters in the series, a late 2015 release for the flick would have been more advisable, so at present it appears we'll just have to watch how the tide pans out with regards to this strategic alteration.
The Fantastic Four will assemble in cinemas worldwide in June 2015.
Ubisoft Montpieller's beautiful platformer comes to upgraded hardware in Spring 2014.
Ubisoft Games have today announced the development ofa new version of Rayman Legends for release on next-generation consoles. Launched earlier in 2013, Legends was a stellar follow-up to 2010's Rayman Origins, and it earned itself a remarkable 9/10 score here at On-Screen upon its release in September.
If it's a revolutionary update which fans of the original Legends product are looking for, though, then they'll come away dissatisfied. Beyond utilisation of Remote Play and Kinect motion control systems in a similar fashion to the WiiU GamePad, the second edition will play exactly the same as its first incarnation, albeit boasting graphics which will be considerably enhanced by the technology of Microsoft and Sony's latest hardware behemoths.
Rayman Legends retails for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in February 2014.
Minifigures, assemble! November's second full week offers up another impressive range of entertainment releases.
What should quickly become apparent this month is that things are only going to keep on ramping up as the weeks progress. That fact is more than correct with regards to the second week in, which, it has to be said, contains some genuine corkers for entertainment fans to look out before its end.
Ready to hear what those entail? Okay, then. Here's our round-up of all of the hottest entertainment releases launching in the next seven days:
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY EXTENDED EDITION-We're just a month away from the worldwide release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which means it's high time for another look at its predecessor. An Unexpected Journey's extended cut boasts more time in Hobbiton, Rivendell and the Goblin Caves, adding an additional 13 minutes of footage in order to produce an overall upgraded running time of 182 minutes. Tolkein fans, take heed- with 9 hours of extras on top of the bumper-sized film, this is the ultimate edition of The Hobbit's first chapters. (Monday 10th) ARROW: LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS- As Season Two of Arrow continues, more secrets will be revealed on the Black Canary's mysterious past. Just what is the enigmatic heroine's connection to the League of Assassins? As we flash between Oliver's time on the island and his modern day exploits, the answer will unveil itself over time this week. Plus, get ready to discover more on the implications of Brother Blood's plot arc...(Monday 10th, Sky1) BIOSHOCK INFINITE: BURIAL AT SEA PART 1-This audacious DLC campaign expands the events of BioShock Infinite in a retrospective throwback to the world of Rapture. Burial At Sea sees Booker hired by the shady Elizabeth to find a lost girl in the city, a mission which leads him into a devilish conspiracy, and one which could set in motion the very fall of rapture: this is an expansion pack which you can't afford to miss! (Tuesday 12th) THE SCIENCE OF DOCTOR WHO-Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary is shifting fully into gear starting this week. The Science of Doctor Who is an initial celebratory lecture programme helmed by Brian Cox that speculates upon the reality of such concepts as time travel and extraterresterial life. BBC Two have plenty more great Who content to come in the next two weeks, but as debuts go, this is one hell of a kick-starter that I can already confirm deserves any fan's time. (Thursday 14th) LEGO MARVEL SUPERHEROES-The final major current-generation video game title of 2013, LEGO Marvel Superheroes is assembling in stores this week. TT Games and Marvel Studios have been hard at work rendering a LEGO-themed version of New York with various superhero teams in order to provide series veterans with the ultimate filmic experience on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, WiiU and many more consoles. This particular instalment will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 too, but for now, keep it current-generation to give your hardware the proper send-off...(Friday 15th) CHILDREN IN NEED 2013-Sure, Terry Wogan does his best to sap all potential comic relief from it, but all the same, the Children In Need live show is one of the BBC's most justly popular live events. This year's programme features the first clip of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, a Call The Midwife sketch and performances from One Direction and Harry Hill, so to use an old cliche, there's something for everyone! (Friday 15th) DOCTOR WHO: GREATEST MONSTERS AND VILLAINS WEEKEND- Another Who celebration broadcast, this time from BBC Three. Fans voted, and now it's time to discover (in order) the Top 10 Doctor Who monsters and villains of all time. Who will win- the Daleks, the Silence, or the Kandyman? Perhaps the last one is wishful thinking, yet it should be a genuinely thrilling weekend-long event for Who veterans everywhere. (Friday 15th, Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th) AND THERE'S MORE- The Great Gatsby's 2013 adaptation from the great Baz Luhrmman lands in DVD and Blu-Ray retailers tomorrow, as does Disney Pixar's latest effort, Monsters' University! AND NEXT WEEK...It's time- Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor has arrived! But that's by no menas all- the Xbox One, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, An Adventure In Space And Time, Super Mario 3D World, Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and so many more releases première in what could be 2013's most anticipated week by far!
Can there possibly be any more 50th action? Naturally, the answer is a definitive yes...
BBC Worldwide have today announced a host of new Doctor Who projects premiering this month for the show's 50th Anniversary. Hot on the heels of this morning's brilliant first trailer for The Day of the Doctor, the reveals feature programmes, mini-episodes and even video games launching over the course of this month.
Without further ado, here's our round-up of all of the hottest Doctor Who announcements which you may have missed as you watched the trailer for the seventy-fifth time:
THE NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR- As if it weren't enough to receive two full trailers for The Day of the Doctor this weekend, the BBC have confirmed that a seven minute mini-episode prequel to the 50th Anniversary Special will air next weekend. Launching on the channel's Red Button service, The Night of the Doctor features John Hurt's incarnation of the Doctor, and could possibly feature a cameo from Paul McGann if rumours are to be believed! The Night of the Doctor debuts on BBC Red Button next Saturday November 16th.
LEGACY ON iOS & ANDROID- On top of dominating television sets, social networks and the box office this month, Doctor Who is returning to the realm of video gaming too. Titled Doctor Who: Legacy, the new free-to-play game seems to revolve around the events of the Time War, though Tiny Rebel Studios are still teasing plenty of homages to the show's illustrious past. Doctor Who: Legacy hits iOS and Android devices in late November.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE- One of two newly announced celebratory shows set to air on BBC Three, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide is essentially a reprisal of the Confidential series, bringing together stars such as Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman, David Tennant and Paul McGann to discuss and debate some of the series' most iconic sequences. It joins the Greatest Monsters and Villains Weekend programmes airing from November 15th-17th. Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide broadcasts on BBC Three on Monday November 18th.
DOCTOR WHO LIVE: THE AFTERPARTY- And if it's post-50th Doctor Who action that you're craving, then BBC Three have you covered on yet another front. DW Live: The Afterparty is hosted by The Twelfth Doctor's Zoe Ball and will house an extensive discussion of The Day of the Doctor straight after its worldwide simultaneous broadcast. Guests for the programme are yet to be announced. Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty airs on BBC Three on Saturday November 23rd at 9.05pm.
Doctor Who returns for its blockbuster, feature-length 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor, on Saturday November 23rd at 7.50pm- check out the first full clip of the episode below...
Warner Brothers Games début a new video game series set in the Lord of the Rings universe next year.
