A Batman Beyond movie? Yes Please!

So much can change in so little time!

Just over a week ago we were talking about the on-going rumors that Ben Affleck was looking to separate himself from the DC Extended Universe, now Comicbookmovie.com is reporting that together with Matt Reeves, Affleck has signed on for three more movies INCLUDING the transition of Batman: Beyond to the big screen!

The sight has reported that:

"According to a Warner Bros. source Ben Affleck has signed on to appear as the Batman in Matt Reeves Trilogy.  Affleck will play the Dark Knight for three more films, with the last leading into a Batman Beyond film, which will also lead to the next phase of the DC Extended Universe."

With this being an unconfirmed rumor all we can do is hope, well that and try to figure out who the best person to play Terry McGinnis might be.

Let us know what you think in the comments below and remember to follow us at cangeek.com, thanks for reading. 

Star Trek Discovery: Why the Klingons look so.....different!

When CBS announced a new Star Trek series in November of 2015 I was thrilled!  This would be the first new series since the conclusion of Star Trek: Enterprise on May 13th, 2005 - that's over a decade without boldly exploring new frontiers in a prime time television slot!

With the announcement of this new endeavor fans were left with a multitude of questions. Would this be set in the timeline of the original series? Would this be set in the alternate reality of the Star Trek Kelvin timeline? Who would the central characters be? How much would this new series change the Star Trek cannon?

Over the last twenty-one months fans have learned a great deal about some of the changes, but ahead of Star Trek: Discovery's premiere in September, I wanted to address the change that many fans are having difficulty with - The Klingons!

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, new show-runner Aaron Harberts stated that "In the different versions of Trek, the Klingons have never been completely consistent, we will introduce several different houses with different styles. Hopefully fans will become more invested in the characters than worried about the redesign" he would then go onto say that not only was original show-runner Bryan Fuller supportive of the change but that he had also played a hand in the redesign of the warriors with the ridged-heads.

There is an assumption that series writers will use the Klingon Augment Virus to explain these physical changes, with the virus being a strain of the Levodian Flu which was created by Klingon researchers who were attempting to bio-engineer enhanced warriors.

However as a fan I'm having a difficult time accepting this new design - I long for the days when one of the Federations greatest warrior races appeared through the flames of battle looking like this:

Do you agree?  Let me know in the comments below and watch for the debut of Star Trek: Discovery as it warps into prime time on September 24th.

Thanks for reading, follow us at cangeek.com

Ernest Gary Gygax: his legacy of adventures and storytelling

An elf, a warrior, A mage and a thief enter a dungeon....

It sounds like an introduction to what might be a really bad joke, but it's a scenario that has played out countless times over the course of the past 43 years, at its core it's what Dungeons & Dragons is all about.

As Role-playing games go Dungeons & Dragons is basically the grandfather of them all, with most RPG's being able to trace their roots back, at least in part to D&D.

You begin by creating a player-character (PC), you define this character by picking your name, race, gender, class, attributes and abilities - then the fun REALLY begins as your Dungeon Master (DM) leads you and your fellow players on a grand adventure!

Because at its core Dungeons & Dragons is all about the adventure and the storytelling!

However had it not been for E. Gary Gygax, who is widely considered the father of D&D, then Role-players the world over would not have the benefit of traveling to multiple mystical lands, raiding and looting various dungeons, doing battle with fearsome creatures, and welding artifacts with powers beyond their wildest imaginations!

As a gamer at heart Gygax had been an avid war-gamer and creator of multiple war-gaming organizations throughout the 1960's - as well as the founder of the Gen Con Gaming Convention.  As a game designer Gygax helped create Chainmail, a medieval miniatures war-game in 1971.  Two years later Gygax would co-found Tactical Studies Rules (TSR)  with childhood friend Don Kaye, and would co-create Dungeons & Dragons: First Edition with game designer Dave Arneson the following year.

That same year Gygax would found The Dragon, a magazine designed to further promote the newly created D&D gaming system.  Four years later Gygax would begin working on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, an update to the D&D gaming system which would include pre-packaged adventure modules giving Dungeon Masters a rough script to lead their adventures with.

Gygax would leave TSR in 1985 over issues with the companies new majority owner, but he would continue to develop games such as Dangerous Journeys and Lejendary Adventure independently up until his death in March of 2008.

Had it not been for the passion and dedication that Gary Gygax had for his craft, many a friendship may not have been forged - So on what would have been his 79th birthday, the small team that is CanGeek Games and Collectables would like to say thank you sir, and may you dine with the Gods this eve.

Ben is STILL the Batman!

Actor Ben Affleck took time to address rumors of his immanent departure while promoting the upcoming Justice League movie this past weekend at San Diego Comic-Con.

"Let me be very clear. I am the luckiest guy in the world, Batman in the coolest part of any universe -- DC, Marvel. It's incredible... I'm so thrilled to do it.  I know that there was a misconception that because I didn't direct it that I wasn't enthusiastic about it, but its fucking amazing, and I still can't believe I've done two films and have this great history with this studio"

Addressing his decision to vacate the directors chair and working with War For The Planet Of The Apes director Matt Reeves, Affleck told moderator Chris Hardwick:

"I would be an ape on the ground for Matt Reeves -- never-mind being Batman, so I'm really blown away and excited, and it's a great time time in the DC Universe."

With "The Batman" script going through a literal re-write there is no official release date for the stand-alone film, but all eyes will be on Affleck's Batman when he returns as part of the Justice League on November the 16th.

Stephen Amell is a real life superhero!

Actor Stephen Amell has once again proven himself to be a real life hero, this after a question and answer season at this past weekends San Diego Comic-Con.

A young fan who identified herself as Sarah asked if the CW star would once again be promoting his F-Cancer shirts, as she herself was currently battling the disease.  Amell responded to the question then invited the young lady to the stage where he presented her with a custom made Arrow necklace from around his neck - explaining that she could return it to him at next years show.

Amell has been a strong advocate for cancer research, having told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014:

"My mom was going through chemotherapy in April of 2012 and she and I just took a photo outside of a bar in Toronto when I was visiting. I was just giving the middle finger to the camera - representing F--- Cancer. At the time I didn't know there was a charity called F---Cancer. They got in touch via Twitter and we've been working together ever since."

A hero is defined as:

"a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities"

In my opinion this genuine gesture has once again proven Amells nobility, and has solidified his standing as a real life superhero!

Well done Sir!

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Ragnarok and Infinity War: What is the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Although this is speculation taken from the leaked Infinity War trailer and an interview with Mark Ruffalo, beware of possible SPOILERS ahead....

One thing I really love about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, like the threads of a spiderweb, they do a fantastic job of connecting their story-lines together from one film to the next.

With that in mind I can't help but think that there was a reason Disney and Marvel decided NOT to release the teaser trailer for The Avengers: Infinity War Part One, which was recently shown at both D23 and San Diego Comic-Con.

However as I'm sure they expected, multiple cellphones were used and now bootleg recordings are available via YouTube - so long as you can find them BEFORE Google removes them for copyright infringement.

It was widely speculated that this trailer would be released alongside or shortly after Thor: Ragnarak in November, which makes sense given that the Infinity War trailer finds Rocket Raccoon screaming

"Wipers! Wipers! GET IT OFF!"  

When the seemingly lifeless body of The God Of Thunder slams into the Guardians spacecraft in deep space, it's now fair to assume that Thor's time spent on Sakaar doesn't end well for him or his "Friend From Work", The Incredible Hulk.

Further to that point, during an interview at D23 Mark Ruffalo jokingly stated:

"Wait until you see the next one, like every other Marvel movie it doesn't end well for the superheroes, wait till you see this next one, everybody dies"

So now the question becomes was he joking?

We know that at the very least Thor survives, it appears his meeting with the Guardians will play a hand in both his and Peter Quill's eventual return to Earth as the events of Infinity War Part One begin to play out.

But the problem with bootleg copies is they're usually distorted and people's heads are always bobbing up and down, so maybe I missed both The Hulk and Loki, maybe they were in that trailer after all....

As stated at the beginning, this is all speculation until the release of THOR: Ragnarak in November, but it makes you wonder just how much the MCU will change post Ragnarak and Infinity War? 

The Walking Dead: Could this be the beginning of the end?

Could this be the beginning of the end?

This past Friday at San Diego Comic-Con saw the much-anticipated release of The Walking Dead season 8 trailer from AMC, and as the final seconds ticked away fans the world over were given reason to take pause before scrambling to the internet.

We are of course referring to the time-jump which presented us with a much older Rick Grimes, shorter hair, long grey beard, waking up in bed next to a nightstand with a cane resting against it, what was happening here?

As fans flocked to the net the speculation began, was Rick waking up from his coma?  Have the events of The Walking Dead been nothing but a dream?  Creator Robert Kirkman has ruled this possibility out several times throughout the years, and as fans we'd like to believe that when the end comes it won't be so obvious.

Many speculated this time-jump would follow the upcoming All Out War story arc, which in the comics saw Rick defeat Negan and his Saviors but not before Negan broke Ricks leg - forcing him to rely upon the use of a cane as a mobility device.

While this would be another obvious assumption, we'd like to suggest one alternative - could season eight be the beginning of the end? 

When "The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life" aired at the beginning of April, the 90 minute season seven finale saw a decline in viewership of 20% compared to its season six finale, this decline also represented the shows third lowest finale results since the series began on October 31st, 2010.

With 15.8 million viewers, season five's "Conquer" holds the record for the season finale which drew in the largest audience.

In an industry which feeds off merchandising and advertising revenue, we can't help but wonder if AMC executives have been taking notes, and if so could they be preparing to pull the plug on one of our favorite Sunday night series?

Sadly we wouldn't be surprised if, sometime in the near future, it was announced that season eight of The Walking Dead was in fact the finale season.  Should this be the case then all we can hope for is that our Walking Dead family gets the send off they deserve after providing us with so many years of entertainment.

What do you think, how would you like to see The Walking Dead end?

Is Ben Affleck out as The Batman?

Here we go again.

Rumors have once again begun to circulate that actor Ben Affleck wants out of the Warner Brothers "stand-alone" Batman film.

Although Warner Bros. studio chief Toby Emmerich was quoted as saying: 

"Ben is our Batman. We love him as Batman. We want to keep him in the cowl as long as we can"   

The Hollywood Reporter has stated that a source close to the films production has confirmed that the studio is working on plans to usher Affleck's Batman out gracefully, and will address the change in one of the upcoming DC films.

This has been a year of uncertainty for the films production, with Affleck first stepping aside as its director in January, and the rumors of his departure beginning to circulate shortly thereafter. It was also confirmed earlier this month that director Matt Reeves would not be using Affleck's script for The Batman, choosing to have a complete re-write take place instead.

Reeves told MTV's Happy, Sad, Confused podcast:

"No (we won't be using that), it's a new story. It's just starting again. I'm excited about it. I think it's going to be really cool."

With Affleck scheduled to make a promotional appearance at Comic-Con international in San Diego this weekend as part of the Justice League promotional event, could this be one of the last times we see the actor as part of the DC Extended Universe?

BBC responds to upset Doctor Who fans

"Change me dear, and it seems not a moment to soon"

Human beings generally don't respond well to change, this fact was once again hammered home on Sunday when the BBC announced that actress Jodie Whittaker would replace out-gong Doctor Peter Capaldi as the star of the hit BBC series Doctor Who.

Although it's true the Doctor has regenerated multiple times during the series fifty-four year run, the casting of Whittaker as the next Doctor represents the first time in the shows history that the lead character has not only changed faces, but genders as well.

While many fans greeted this news with enthusiasm, there were some loyalists who quickly took to the World Wide Web to voice their dissatisfaction with the BBC's bold move.

In response to this outcry the BBC has released the following statement:

Watch for Jodie Whittaker as she joins former Broadchurch show-runner Chris Chibnall on this new and exciting adventure when Doctor Who returns on December 25th.

Please remember to follow us at CanGeek.com

Why a female Doctor makes sense.

Did you know...

There are roughly the same amount of men and women in the world?  Statistically out of every one thousand people there are 504 men (50.4%) and 496 women (49.6%) so although as men we might have a slight lead over the female population, for the most part we are about equal in numbers.

And for that reason alone, it makes sense that after fifty-four years the BBC finally gave the green-light to a female Doctor, because after all there are just as many female fans as there are male fans watching this series.

OH BY THE WAY lets be honest here, they more or less told us what they were planning during World Enough & Time, don't believe me?  Watch this:

Now that we've got that out of the way lets talk about this groundbreaking decision, lets talk about the FIRST female Doctor, lets talk about Jodie Whittaker!

She was born Jodie Auckland Whittaker in Skelmanthorpe, a village in West Yorkshire England on June the 3rd 1982. As an aspiring actor Whittaker trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama were she graduated with a gold medal in acting before going onto star in feature films including Venus and Attack the Block. 

Whittaker also starred in Broadchurch alongside former Doctor Who star David Tennant and under the guidance of new Doctor Who show-runner Chris Chibnall - I guess you can say that in some way Jodie Whittaker was already connected to and destined for the T.A.R.D.I.S.

Although Ms. Whittaker has had a short career, having been working professionally for twelve years now, she has landed the role of a lifetime as the next Doctor and this is one fan who wishes her all the best as she helms this science-fiction Juggernaut. 

Watch for Jodie Whittaker to make his first onscreen appearance alongside Peter Capaldi and David Bradley in the Doctor Who Christmas special on December 25th.

Thanks for reading, follow us at cangeek.com