MARVEL Reveals the Casting of Hank Pym in "Ant-Man"

Marvel has announced today their choice to portray Hank Pym in the upcoming Ant-Man film. Golden Globe winner Michael Douglas will be portraying the scientist on film in the summer of next year.

"With Hank Pym's rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves," said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. "We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step into the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn't be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life."

The announcement ends speculation on what role Paul Rudd will be playing, confirming his role as Scott Lang, the second person to take up the Ant-Man mantle.

Wright had discussed his ideas for the plot involving both Pym and Lang last year saying, "The idea that we have for the adaptation is to actually involve both... Henry Pym and Scott Lang. So you actually do a prologue where you see Pym as Ant-Man in action in the 60's, in sort of 'Tales to Astonish' mode basically, and then the contemporary, sort of flash-forward, is Scott Lang's story, and how he comes to acquire the suit, how he crosses paths with Henry Pym, and then, in an interesting sort of Machiavellian way, teams up with him."

Marvel and Edgar Wright are beginning to gear up for production, set to begin soon in Georgia. It will be the launching point of Marvel's "Phase Three" and will be coming to theaters late summer of 2015.

What do you think of the casting? Let us know in the comments below!

Tarantino's New Western Gets a Title

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Tarintino's new film will in fact be a western. This comes as no surprise as Tarantino has said multiple times that now that he has taught himself how to do a western, he wants to to another. Now this western has a title. The film will be called The Hateful Eight. A nod to a western film of a similar title, The Magnificent Seven. Could Tarantino's film be an unofficial sequel?

Tarantino hopes to begin production this summer, and sources say that Tarantino has written a specific role for one of his reoccurring favorites, Chrisoph Waltz.

Are you excited about Tarantino's new film? Would you like to see him try another genre, or are you happy with another western? Let us know in the comments.

Breaking Bad Star Rumored for Role in "Star Wars Episode VII"

Jesse Plemons, known for his roles on Friday Night Lights and more recently, Breaking Bad, is now said to be in the running for a key role in Star Wars Episode VII.

According to "The Wrap", Plemons has recorded an audition tape, and it went over well. So well in fact that he has a meeting scheduled with Episode VII helmer J.J. Abrams.

Plemons is also known for his work in the 2012 film Battleship, Varsity Blues, and for portraying a younger version of Matt Damon's character in All the Pretty Horses.

Early rumors have Plemons placed in the role of Luke Skywalker's son. His slight resemblance to Mark Hamill strengthens that rumor a little, however, the role he is up for is still unknown.

Is this a good casting choice? Who would you like to see in the upcoming Episode VII? Let us know in the comments below!

UPDATE: "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" to come to PS4 and Xbox One?

UPDATE: Bethesda VP Peter Hines took to twitter to clear up any rumors that may have been sparked by Bethesda's official website.

So apparently, the listing was just due to a bug, and it isn't anything to get excited about. Well, at least we have Fallout 4 to look forward to. (maybe, probably, hopefully, please)

ORIGINAL STORY
A listing on Bethesda's official website may have sparked some speculation on wether the fifth game in The Elder Scrolls franchise is coming to next gen consoles.

This screenshot shows under a listing for the game all of the consoles that Skyrim is currently available for, but it also includes Xbox One and Playstation 4. Does this mean Bethesda is preparing to release a next gen version of the popular game bundled with all the DLC and updated graphical power to match the next generation of consoles? No official word from Bethesda yet, but we will keep you updated on any official announcements coming out of the Bethesda camp.

It could be that Bethesda is going through all of their options to prepare for the potentially and seemingly imminent disastrous launch of The Elder Scrolls Online because of early fan speculation and an article from a Forbes blog that has predicted The Elder Scrolls Online to be the biggest flop of 2014, reporting that the game has already amassed a budget of over $200mil and people expressing their general disinterest in the game and its $15 a month subscription fee.

If this is true this would mark the second big name game getting a next gen makeover, with Tomb Raider Definitive Edition getting a next gen upgrade with better graphics and DLC included. This move, if it pays off for Bethesda, could pave the way for other big franchises to make the upgrade to next gen consoles, such as the highly rumored Grand Theft Auto V.

What do you think? Is this a good move on Bethesda's part? Are they just trying to cover themselves in the case of a huge failure with TES:O? Would you like to see other companies follow suit? Let us know in the comments below.

Left 4 Dead Creators Announce New Game "Evolve"

Left 4 Dead creators Turtle Rock Studios have unveiled their new game, Evolve set for release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC sometime in Autumn.

The game will be a sci-fi shooter, based heavily on multiplayer. You can check out the official teaser site for the game here. The game has been featured on February's issue of Gameinformer magazine.

Being a next gen exclusive, Evolve seeks to deliver a new and different kind of next gen multiplayer experience. The multiplayer focused shooter will pit a four player team of alien hunters against a separate player controlled monster that can increase in strength as matches go on. Each playable character will have different attributes that make each unique, and the monster itself will be unique in it's size and ability to deal massive damage.

It seems the team has taken a lot of inspiration from its former series Left 4 Dead, especially in the 4 player co-op multiplayer aspect. It will be interesting to see how different and unique the game will be from it's predecessor.

2K games is publishing, while Turtle Rock Studios is developing the game which is due out sometime this fall. Keep it posted to NerdHub for the latest news on Evolve, and in the meantime, let us know what kind of experience you would want to see from the game in the comments section!

3 New International Posters for "The Amazing Spider-man 2"

3 new international posters for The Amazing Spider-man 2 have hit the internet. Each one of them features the films main villain Electro, played by Jaime Foxx. You can check out the new posters as well as the official synopsis, below.

We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.

It’s great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp. 

The Amazing Spider-man 2 hits theaters May 2, 2014

First TV Spot for "The LEGO Movie" Hits

Chris Miller and Phil Lord's newest film The Lego Movie looks all sorts of awesome! Not only is it a movie set within the LEGO universe (so basically anything is possible) but it also features awesome licensed characters such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and The Flash. Funny how we get to see all these characters onscreen for the first time in a Lego movie and not an official Justice League movie! COME ON WB!!!

Now that that tangent is over, the new TV spot for The LEGO Movie looks awesome!
Check out the official synopsis along with the new TV spot below.

An ordinary guy named Emmet (Chris Pratt) is mistaken as being the Master Builder, the one who can save the universe. With the aid of an old mystic Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), a tough young lady named Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), and Batman (Will Arnett), Emmet will fight to defeat the evil tyrant Lord Business (Will Ferrell) who is bent on destroying the universe by gluing it together.

Check out The LEGO Movie starring Chris Pratt, Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, Cobie Smulders, Channing Tatum, Allison Brie, Charlie Day, and Liam Neeson, in theaters February 7, 2014.

Sony Reveals Playstation Now Service

At CES today, sony revealed their newest project called Playstation Now, a game streaming service that will allow for classing psone, ps2, and ps3 games to be played on current gen Playstation hardware, as well as non gaming specific hardware. Sony had hinted at capabilities like this in the past, suggesting that they might harness the power of Gaikai, which they purchased back in 2012.

The concept is basically, you no longer need these classic consoles and physical copies of games to play your favorite psone, ps2, and ps3 classics. They will be available not only on Playstation 4 and PS Vita consoles, but also on Smart TVs, tablets, and smartphones. This move by sony effectively solves the issue of backwards compatibility that consumers seem to so desperately want.

The games available at the launch of the service will be limited, with the library growing as the service ages. However, Sony rep Andrew House has confirmed Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us and Quantic Dream's Beyond two souls will be two of the games available to test at CES.

Even with this exciting announcement, much is still unknown about the service itself. It is still unknown if the available games will only be Playstation exclusives or if multi-platform favorites will also be included in the service. It is also unsure if there will be a cost attached to the service, and if there is how much it will be, or if it will be added on to the existing Playstation Plus features, however the latter seems highly unlikely.

Keep it posted to NerdHub News for the latest developments on Sony's new streaming service, and let us know in the comments what kind of games you would like to see offered!

"Just A Spoonful of Sugar" - A Review of "Saving Mr. Banks"

Saving Mr. Banks, the tale of author P.L. Travers reluctancy and Walt Disney’s persistence to bring one of the most beloved classic movie characters to life on the big screen, starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, and Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers, gives audiences the story, albeit watered down somewhat, in an emotional yet easy to swallow charming manner.

There is no doubt that the best part of this movie is the acting. Every performer gave their all in their respective roles, and it is clearly evident. Tom Hanks as Walt Disney brought the right amount of charm and whimsy to the role of the king of the cartoon empire. Thompson gave an oscar worthy performance as the standoffish and stubborn Travers, and as the movie went on, and the more emotional side of Travers was revealed, she was able to break the stubbornness and show us a more sensitive side of the defensive author. Colin Farrell surely gave the best performance of the movie, and his career in portraying Travers’ father. His effort to keep it all together for his family, while actually falling apart due to alcoholism and lack of job stability was interpreted beautifully by Farrell. Each of the supporting cast did a phenomenal job as well. Giamatti, Novak, Schwartzman, and Whitford all gave notable performances as well.

There were actually two stories told, The primary story, The courting of Ms. Travers by Disney, and then the story that actually inspired the story of Mary Poppins, Travers’ childhood. The latter was told in flashbacks within the first story. I personally am not a fan of flashbacks, and believe they are rarely done right, but “Banks” almost does it right, with a few flashbacks seemingly out of place within the primary story, but overall the flashbacks do a terrific job of drawing parallels between the Mary Poppins story, Travers’ life, and why she is so reluctant to let the characters go.

The primary story is told just as well, and you find yourself rooting for Disney and the writers due to Travers’ put offish attitude. Her attitude could be a problem, but Ralph, the driver assigned to Travers played by Giamatti, does a fantastic job of balancing the audience’s emotions and allowing for the audience to sympathize with Travers. The relationship between the two keeps Travers from being disliked by the viewer and keeps her from being made into the “villain” of the film.

Saving Mr. Banks was a great film that captured the same spirit of Mary Poppins, while telling the story of how she made her way to the big screen. Although Disney’s character was a bit watered down, the story didn’t suffer from it. All in all, Saving Mr. Banks is a great movie that probably wouldn’t appeal to anyone who hasn’t seen Mary Poppins, but gives an emotional and heartwarming story to those who have seen and love the classic Disney film.

NerdHub Review Guide

Hello fans! Tomorrow marks the first ever review here at NerdHub, and it certainly is exciting. I just wanted to make sure everyone understands how reviews at NerdHub will work, and how the scoring system is applied. Each movie, game, or TV show that is reviewed is reviewed on a certain criteria encompassing all aspects of the movie. Each aspect is given a score, and then the final score is determined. The review block at the end of the written review will give a score and a few pros and cons about the piece being reviewed and it will look like this:

Now I'd like to give you a little information about the number rating system. What the numbers themselves mean are as follows:

10 - Masterpiece: The highest honor given to any piece, it may not be perfect (because perfection is hard) but it is very close to perfect. The piece will be defined as a classic and is the ultimate standard for everything else.

9 - Amazing: A score given to anything that is outstanding, yet has a few minor flaws that are easy to overlook.

8 - Great: Given to anything that is seriously impressive, and has impressive qualities that outweigh it's faults.

7 - Good: Given to anything that will leave you feeling satisfied, but not overwhelmed with joy, emotion, or ambition. Still something worth spending time and money on.

6 - Okay: Just because something is given an okay rating doesn't mean it is bad. Spending time with something that has been given an okay rating won't be time lost, and is still worth checking out.

5 - Mediocre: Given to something that doesn't really grab anyone's attention. If you have nothing else to do, something given a mediocre score will surely pass the time, but ultimately leaves a bland and forgettable experience.

4 - Poor: Given to something that leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth after finishing. You probably shouldn't waste money on anything given a score of poor or lower.

3 - Bad: If something is given this rating, it means that it feels like time was wasted on it, and you should avoid wasting your time on it as well.

2 - Awful: Even if you can try something for free, that doesn't mean you should always try it. Which is what we reserve a score of awful for.

1 - Unbearable: It was offensive that something as bad as this was made, wether it be a TV show, movie, or game, the world would have been a better place had it not been made.

I should note that anything you see in the 6-10 range is definitely worth checking out, anything rated 4-5 should never be paid for full price, and anything 1-3 should just be skipped altogether.

I look forward to providing exciting and informative reviews very often. Make sure you stay up to date with Nerdhub for our Saving Mr. Banks review hitting tomorrow, and for even more reviews in the future!

Patton Oswalt's "Star Wars" & "Marvel" crossover a possibility?

Okay, maybe not as a movie, as a comic book, but still. Marvel announced last Friday what is sure to be a historic move in the comic book world. All Star Wars titles, currently published by Dark Horse Comics, will be finishing up their current storylines at Dark Horse, and beginning in 2015 Marvel will be the sole publisher for Star Wars comic books.

This move came as a suprise to no one, as The Walt Disney Co., who also owns Marvel, purchased Lucasfilm last year for $4 Billion. It was only a matter of time before Disney brought the publishing of Star Wars comics in house, which makes the most sense financially.

Does this mean, however, that a crossover between the two comic book worlds is inevitable? Patton Oswalt first stoked the coals of this idea when he made an appearance on the hit NBC show Parks and Recreation. In a blooper, Oswalt described a storyline involving major characters in the Marvel Universe crossing paths with Luke, Han, and the gang and their adventures in a galaxy far, far away via Thanos and his all powerful infinity gauntlet. The story he described was impressively put together, and once it hit the internet fanboys and nerds everywhere were begging for this comedian's hilarious pitch to become a reality.

Image Courtesy: Entertainment Weekly

If you really think about comic book stories, you'll know that writers have gone to great lengths and made huge stretches to make seemingly impossible stories work. Comic book writers, especially those at marvel, aren't afraid to throw in outlandish, and sometimes even silly elements to make sense of unimaginable events. A character dies? This is a comic book bring them back to life! Marvel and DC at one point even had a crossover event where Superman fought Thor and Batman faced off against Captain America. In a comic book, to make a story as epic as possible, almost anything is justifiable.

Wether you hate the idea, or this is something that you have dreamt of since you were just a kid, the controversy and hype that would build as a result from such a crossover would undoubtedly draw attention (and $$$) to both franchises. And Marvel would surely see a huge jump in comic book sales from cynical naysayers who want to see the potential for disaster, or from fanboys who are finally seeing their deepest nerd fantasies come true. For Disney, its little risk for great reward, and a great opportunity to build hype and excitement either up to or on to Star Wars: Episode VII and its subsequent sequels.

This deal is ultimately exclusive to comic books (for now) but it still is a possibility that Disney would eventually want to explore the concept of merging the two franchises, on the big, or small screen. Disney Channel's hit show Phineas and Ferb have episodes planned with both Marvel and Star Wars separately, and with the recent announcement of Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts III it is possible we could see both universes cross over with Sora and the rest of the House of Mouse within the world of video games.

What do you think? Would you like to see Boba Fett face off with Deadpool? Luke and the Avengers vs Vader and Thanos? Wolverine vs Chewbacca? There are so many stories to tell within this crossover universe? What kind of things would you like to see? Sound off in the comments below.

THOR: The Dark World Blu Ray special features revealed

The British Board of Film Classification has accidentally revealed the contents of the special features on the THOR: The Dark World Blu Ray Release. The home release which has yet to be announced is set to have plenty of special features, including a new Marvel One Shot titled, All Hail The King. It is possible that this is the project that Iron Man 3 star Ben Kingsley was working on with some of the crew from Iron Man 3. The special features are also set to include an exclusive look at Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The special features will also include the following:

• ALL HAIL THE KING - A MARVEL ONE-SHOT
• A BROTHERS JOURNEY - THOR & LOKI (PART 1)
• A BROTHERS JOURNEY - THOR & LOKI (PART 2)
• EXCLUSIVE LOOK - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
• SCORING THOR: THE DARK WORLD WITH BRYAN TYLER
• DELETED & EXTENDED SCENES: EXTENDED CELEBRATION SCENE
• DELETED & EXTENDED SCENES: JANE LEARNS ABOUT THE AETHER
• DELETED & EXTENDED SCENES: LOKI: THE FIRST AVENGER
• DELETED & EXTENDED SCENES: THOR AND FRIGGA DISCUSS LOKI
• DELETED & EXTENDED SCENES: DARK ELVES PREPARE FOR BATTLE
• DELETED & EXTENDED SCENES: EXTENDED VANAHEIM SCENE
• EXTENDED CELEBRATION SCENE COMMENTARY BY ALAN TAYLOR & KRAMER MOREGENTHAU
• JANE LEARNS ABOUT THE AETHER COMMENTARY BY ALAN TAYLOR & KRAMER MOREGENTHAU
• LOKI: THE FIRST AVENGER COMMENTARY BY TOM HIDDLESTON
• THOR AND FRIGGA DISCUSS LOKI COMMENTARY BY KEVIN FEIGE
• DARK ELVES PREPARE FOR BATTLE COMMENTARY BY KEVIN FEIGE
• GAG REEL
• THOR THE DARK WORLD AUDIO COMMENTARY

THOR: The Dark World is set for Blu Ray & DVD combo pack on February 25th. Be sure to pick up your copy, and stay tuned to NerdHub for the latest MARVEL news!

"The Rock" to make his way into the DC Universe?

Dwayne Johnson "rocked" the superhero community yesterday when he teased his fans about a potential role within the DC cinematic universe. Johnson tweeted around 5 pm yesterday:

This is surely confirmation that Johnson will be working on some sort of project within the DC Cinematic universe within the near future. He has been tied before to a Shazam! movie, however recent reports from director Peter Segal claim that the Shazam! movie isn't happening, especially after the success of 2013's Man of Steel. He has also been rumored to take on Lobo, a DC antihero, but that property has been canned since as well. This brings up the possibility of Johnson lining up a role for next year's Batman vs. Superman film. Doomsday and Lex Luthor have been rumored to appear, and both roles seem to fit Johnson's physique. Martian Manhunter is also another possibility that has been rumored as well.

However, Johnson could be talking about a completely different standalone DC film. Who knows, everything is speculation until we hear an official announcement from DC or Warner Brothers.

Where would you like to see Johnson fit into the DC Cinematic universe? As a hero or a villain? In a standalone movie, or in DC's big crossovers? Let us know in the comments below!