Hello, everyone! It’s One Of Us’ weekly article series, “The Weekly Wrap-Up.” Covering everything from film announcements to comic books, “The Weekly Wrap-Up” ensures that the biggest stories of the week are analyzed and discussed by our team of writers. This week, we cover the Netflix series renewal of a certain horn-headed hero, two highly anticipated video game projects and the reveal of DC’s new cinematic Joker.
Netflix Orders a Second Season of Daredevil
As is anyone isn’t surprised, Marvel has confirmed that Netflix has ordered a second season of the critically acclaimed show, Daredevil. Viewers will able to follow The Man Without Fear’s latest vigilante exploits in 2016. Though the majority of the cast and crew are expected to return, Steven S. DeKnight will not reprise his role as showrunner for Daredevil Season 2, and will instead be replaced with Doug Petrie (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Marco Ramirez (Sons of Anarchy).
“While previous commitments unfortunately prevent me from continuing on with Daredevil into its second season, I could not be happier that Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez are carrying the torch. They were invaluable collaborators during our first season, and I for one can’t wait to see what they do with the show moving forward.”
As a lifelong Daredevil fan, this is terrific news. The first season of Daredevil is easily Marvel’s most realistic and dramatic interpretations of one of their characters yet. Especially after disappointments like Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter, it was refreshing to finally see a Marvel show that wasn’t afraid to tackle adult themes and issues. Plus, with outstanding performances by Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Rosario Dawson, Vondie Curtis Hall and Scott Glenn, the show cemented itself as one of the best programs currently on Netflix. As sad as it is to see DeKnight leave, I’m very much looking forward to Season 2.
Mad Max Gameplay Trailer
With audiences eagerly anticipating the release of George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road later this spring, Warner Bros. and Avalanche Studios (Just Cause 2) probably thought it best to finally release new gameplay footage of Mad Max to the general public. Originally, Avalanche Studios’ Mad Max team went quiet for two years after revealing gameplay to journalists at E3 2013. Met with mixed to negative reactions, the developer has not shown the game since, opting to address concerns rather than further showcase what they’ve been working on. After two years of development, Mad Max is looking like the best Australian-accented game ever made.
Taking place in the dessert wasteland of the old world, Mad Max follows the titular wastelander from the films as he goes on a quest for revenge. As the trailer obviously shows, the game features an open world, dynamic vehicle destruction, free-flow style combat and iconic locations from the original films. Players will also be tasked with designing their own unique vehicle to battle the hordes of leather-clad tribes and outlaws. Oh, you can also eat people too.
Mad Max will be released on PS4, Xbox One and PC September 1, 2015.
Marvel and TellTale 2017 Video Game Announced
Though there are a handful of exceptions, Marvel has continuously struggled with video game adaptions of their most beloved properties. After dozens upon dozens of shovelware titles produced by publishers like Activision, it seems as if Marvel has finally found a publisher and developer that could deliver a quality product. Confirmed via their official site blog, TellTale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us) has announced that they will be collaborating with Marvel Entertainment to develop a new episodic game series set in the Marvel Universe.
TellTale Executive Producer Mike Jones explained that TellTale wants to strike an emotional chord in both Marvel and video game fans.
“If it doesn’t turn heads, if it doesn’t get you excited to talk with your friends, it’s not a Marvel game. It has to command attention.”
Currently, there is no official confirmation as to what characters would be featured in the game, or whether the game would be set in the comic or cinematic universes. Though little is still known about the project, it’s exciting that TellTale will be adapting yet another blockbuster franchise to its episodic gaming format. The developer went through a renaissance of sorts in 2012 with the release of The Walking Dead. They have been on a winning streak ever since with such titles as The Wolf Among Us (my personal favorite), Game of Thrones and Tales From the Borderlands. They will also be releasing a new-narrative driven series based off of Mojang’s Minecraft later this year.
Jared Leto’s Joker Revealed
We’ve been getting a lot of sudden news about the oncoming storm of DC Cinematic Universe films lately, culminating last week in the release of the trailer for Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now, we’ve got another visual tip to the look of another classic character in the DC Universe; The Joker, who will be played by Academy Award Winning Actor and musician Jared Leto in the upcoming Suicide Squad. The picture was sent out by Suicide Squad director David Ayer on his Twitter in honor of the 75th anniversary of Joker’s first appearance in Batman #1 that was published on April 25th 1940.
Now, there’s a lot to talk about with this new Joker look that isn’t very positive, so I’ll just start with something complimentary; it is different. In adaptation terms, it would have been a crime to copy the look of any of the previous attempts at The Joker, whether it be Heath Ledger’s tic afflicted version from The Dark Knight, Jack Nicolson’s ego maniacal mobster in Tim Burton’s Batman or even Cesar Romero’s kooky mad man from the 60s TV series. Visually, this looks nothing like any of those previous versions which at least shows some originality for this new depiction of the classic character. Plus, this picture doesn’t showcase how Leto will bring the character to life on a performance level, which I have enough confidence to believe he will accomplish solidly given his charismatic and committed work in films like Fight Club and Dallas Buyers Club. Maybe this should be called Suicide Club instead.
All of that being said… WOW. This just looks so awful. Those horrendous tattoos, the weird gray grills on his teeth and dilated pupils make him look like late 90s era Marilyn Manson. It feels like a very calculated attempt at making The Clown Prince of Crime more “edgy” for modern audiences, but it just feels pathetic and groan worthy in every way possible. One should particularly note the “DAMAGED” tattoo that appears on his forehead, which feels painfully unsubtle, but not even in the manic fun way that would fit for Joker. Instead, it just seems as if he fell into a vat of Hot Topic merchandise and joined a screamo band. Now I’m just worried to see what “edgy ensemble Warner Bros will give to Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. The Duchess doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment.
