Weird Mind News Room Episode 151: Jan 12th - 18th

 *Music for beyond Journey's end to a temple of Bone*

Well Hello again to you fine and wonderful people of who you want to be (as long as its not a dick or evil doer), my name is Sam and I would like to welcome you all once again to another Episode of Weird Mind News Room where for this week we will be delving into the usual affair of some new Releases, Some Trailers of a varying type and some News stories in focus as well for another week, so lets not waste too much time and lets get into talking on all things media for another week.

The Releases of the Beast

Movies

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

We start off the selection of new releases in focus in the realm of rage and a return to a land that was overtaken by a virus for nearly 3 decades where we were first brought back a couple months ago but was not where this story ended because its time to continue this overaching story or a section of land lost to time and death as we have the release of the all new 2nd part of the planned 28 years trilogy with the Bone Temple. The film will continue the story first brought up in 28 years later where we see Spike being inducted into Sir Jimmy Crystal's group of acrobatic killers in a post apocalyptic England ravaged by the Rage Virus. Meanwhile Dr Ian Kelson uncovers a deadly discovery that will have consequences that could alter the world. Reception on this follow up entry has seen some very well recieved reception with praise on its performances (particularly with Jack O'Connell and Ralph Fiennes), expanding story and visual focus and darker tone and themes, though some have issues of the main lead of the last film becoming a bit sidelined and for the level of graphical aspects. Now I am not sure if I will have the stomach for this or make this the 3rd film where I have fainted in a cinema screen but if you want to check it out for yourself then you can do so now in cinemas.

Rental Family

But if the violent nature of Britain is not for you but rather have some a bit more to the east and have a bit more of a calmer and wholesome tone then you are in luck as if a case of looking for purpose may find it in some career that helps one to find themselves in what may be missing as we have the release of the new film known as Rental Family. The film follow Philip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser), an american actor struggling to find purpose who lands himself in an unusual gig with a Japanese agency to play stand in roles for strangers. Soon when he immerses himself into the clients worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting his moral complexities of his work, he soon rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection. Reception on this film has been very well recieved with praise on the lead performance of Fraser, the story, messages and for the feel good vibes that are needed in this time of change an uncertainty and if you want to check it out for yourself then you can do so now in cinemas.

The Rip

We have had Horror and a feel good film, so for the last of the films that are releasing this week is one in the focus of bringing 2 names in the industry that seem to work best as both lifelong friends and make some entertaining media in the basis of getting the job done when things get serious (I assume) as Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are teaming up for an all new film known simply as the Rip. The films sees the 2 leads play a pair of Miami cops who discover a stash of millions in cash, leading to a sense of distrust as outsiders begin to learn about the seizure making them question who to rely on. Reception on this film has been recieved well with praise on its more grounded story and performances of the cast, even if the likes of the narrative can get a little confusing or the concept of the plot can feel a little too cliché, but if you want to check it out for yourself then it is available now on Netflix.

TV Shows

Agatha Christie The Seven Dials

Moving over to TV and we start off on the shows in the realm of one that has been becoming a whole wave of new appealing aspects and that is the genre of mystery as we are taking a page out of the stories of one of the most acclaimed mystery authors of our time as we have the release of the new series based on the stories of Agatha Christie with Seven Dials. The series based on the original 1929 novel and sees the focus of the death of two foreign office officials appear to be connected to the theft of a top-secret formula which sees the investigation of Lady Brent into the deaths and crime soon leads her to the mysterious seven dials club. Reception on this new miniseries has seen some more mixed reception that the performances and setting are done well, the likes of the overarching mystery leaves much to be desired (similar to the original reception of the novel) but if you want some new mystery to check out then you can watch it now on Netflix.

Frieran Beyond Journey's End Season 2

Now this 2nd show for this week is one area that I have been a little lacking in a lot with this series but I will try and make a bit more of a look into this year as we have some anime to talk about and it is with a series that became a surprise appealing series with the journey continuing for these odd but colourful characters as we have the release of the 2nd season to the popular anime of Frieran Beyond Journey's End. This season will see Frieran, along with her new companions of Stark and Fern as they continue their journey to the Northern Plateau and travel to the fabled spirit world of Aureole, where she is able to properly say goodbye to her former comrades that she regrets not getting to know them too well. Reception on this 2nd season so far has been very highly praised with appeal in the visually appealing animation, characters, story and some well meaning messages amongst some promise of some very highly appealing action pieces and is the anime everyone needs right now and if you want to check it out and head on the continuing journey, then you can watch the first episode now on Crunchyroll or wherever you watch your Anime, with a new episode releasing every Friday.

Video Games

Animal Crossing New Horizons Switch 2 Edition and 3.0 Update

And the final release of this week is one that will be bringing many of us back to the time of about 6 years ago when the world shut down and all seemed glum, but there was a title that helped us to escape from it all and head out on a nice vacation and make a paradise for all as its time for an all new upgrade as we have the release of a Switch 2 edition and massive 3.0 Upgrade for Animal Crossing New Horizons. The game will have you play as your own custom villager as you travel to a remote island where you can make it the island paradise for you and your villagers with this all new update bringing new features for the updated console and for both versions getting a new hotel and locations and returning characters that were absent for quite some time. Reception on this new title and update seems to be so far well liked with praise on the features and some aspects of the updates, though most critiques feel its a bit few and far between and the price difference of the 2 editions of the game leave much to be desired (a Physical Switch 1 version is €45 while switch 2 is €15 more, though you can buy the upgrade separate for as little as €5 more), but if you want to return to your island paradise then you can play it now on Nintendo Switch and now on Switch 2 (Though you can play the switch 1 version on the new console too). 

Trailers to change the dial to

Avengers Doomsday Wakandans and The Thing teaser

We are heading onto trailers for this week and I believe for one final time, we are checking in on the ever ticking clock that is slowly but surely counting down to the day of reckoning where everything is about to unravel and cause possible death and destruction and see from the perspective of the different heroes of the past coming together to save the future as we have the 4th released teaser to the upcoming end if year movie event of Avengers Doomsday. The film will be set 14 months after the events of Thunderbolts* and a follow on from Endgame and will consist of different factions including the Avengers led by Sam Wilson's Captain America, The Wakandans, the recently arrived Fantastic 4, The New Avengers and the appearance of the X-Men and will team up together to face a new powerful threat of Doctor Doom who looks a little close to a familiar face from the past. I have been interested in the approach to these teasers with not being too long and giving the briefest of looks and some of the established heroes set for an appearance in this film with the focus to this next one being with Shuri, M'Baku, Namor and then the first interaction of the Fantastic Four with other heroes with the focus on the Thing. I do wonder if the likes of the other members of that family are also present in this scene or if they have come into contact with the Thunderbolts but I guess they are leaving that to the proper trailer or something. Now this has also brought with it a cryptic message by the Russo's about this being some hidden meaning for it and while yes there is hidden timestamps at the end for scenes from Endgame, it may also have other meanings but I have no idea on them and may need to delve into it myself but either way I am interested and a bit optimistic about this film as the clock continues to count down to the release into cinemas from the 18th of December.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy

Now our next trailer is one that has been somewhat quiet for a bit of time and it is a case with this new one it is taking the approach of returning to a sort of Dark Universe for this new project (but in a less disaster type of way) as we are going more in on the unsettling horror as Evil Dead Rise director of Lee Cronin is giving his take on an iconic movie monster as we recieved the first teaser for his take on The Mummy. The film sees the sudden disappearance of the youngest daughter of a Journalist somewhere in the far reaches of the desert without a trace, but suddenly the shattered family is stunned when she reappears eight years later. However what should've been a joyful family reunion turns into a true and horrifying nightmare. So I remember this being teased about maybe 2 years ago and felt that he may be a solid fit to make this a proper horror fest that they wanted that 2017 reboot to be and be what the actual Dark Universe to start with as he seems to have a bit of a knack of giving a sense of mystery and glimpses of horror in this teaser. Now it is a case while researching this piece that there is a whole ordeal with Universal being adamant about this film and the reason they announced the 4th Brendan Fraser Mummy film and why its with a different studio (and the case of reported mixed test screenings but a fair amount of time that audience opinion often varies to final product) but it looks interesting and we will see how it turns out and its not too long from release either as the film will be rising from its tomb from April 17th.

One Piece Live action Season 2

For our next trailer, it will be time to gather your merry band of misfits and prepare to set sail across the high seas once more on the way to a fabled legendary treasure and will be set to see more dangerous parts of the world and maybe some new adversaries too as we are back with the release of an all new trailer for the upcoming 2nd season of the Live action take on One Piece. This new season will see Luffy and his Straw Hat Crew as they embark further on their journey as they enter into the Grand Line, where they will soon encounter new islands, new acquaintances, formidable enemies and a whole load of Legendary secrets. I see it as a bit of an impressive feat with this series becoming such a success, as the likes of these anime adaptions on this streamer are not always the most successful or end up a disaster and I have to give them credit for working as best they can in adapting the massive 1000+ episodes into the show so far (I doubt its the full series but they have made a solid effort and I will watch both versions in due time) but it seems like it could be another successful series in progress from the outcome and I am sure it will be well worth a watch with the season not too long away from starting with it setting sail onto Netflix from the 10th of March.

Monarch Legacy of Monsters Season 2

For the next of trailers is going for more on the world of titans and creatures that roam amongst us and in this case it is a return to the realm that is seen as the monsterverse as we get more of an insight into the organization that makes it their focus of learning their attributes and the appearance of new titans and threats as we have the release of a proper first full trailer to the upcoming 2nd season of Monarch Legacy of Monsters. This season will pick up with the fate of Monarch and the world hanging in the balance as this new season reveals buried secrets that reunite the heroes and villains on Kong's Skull Island and to a new mysterious village where a mythical Titan will rise from the sea. We really seem to be in an age of titans in all forms from this series and other mythical creatures from Trolls and mech and much more and especially with the OG Titan of Godzilla who seems to be on quite the trend these days and the likes of this first season was an entertaining one in knowing what it wants to be and having likable characters mixed with iconic monsters and I am interested in seeing what they do with this new season and the introduction of this new water based titan but its not going to be too long away from seeing how it turns out as the new season will be making its way to Apple TV+ from February 27th.

Euphoria Season 3

For the next trailer is with a focus to a show that since the last time we had seen this show, the floodgates opened and so much has happened from drama, behind the scenes conflicts and some leads of the show had some drama (well mainly one of them and a new one has now appeared recently that is a lot to say from the group that defended her and her great Jeans) which feels in tone to the series as after 3 years since season 2 we now have the trailer for the 3rd season to Euphoria. The new season jumps forward 5 years into the future, with the now adult characters post High school with it focusing on themes on faith, redemption and evil as they navigate life, careers and complex relationships with Rue dealing with drug debts in Mexico, Cassie and Nate's troubled marriage, Jules in Art school, and Maddy working in Hollywood, all while exploring the fallout of their intense pasts. The concept of this show seemed like quite the ordeal when it first came out that I know it was based on another show from a different country and given the american twist to it and it seemed to work well with the 2 female leads of Zendaya and Sweeney going off to some more bigger career, as well as a few others like Hunter Schaffer, but it s a case of if it works now or if the appeal of the series has somewhat died off from the different projects and the appeal of the creator at this point but it seems like they are giving it all they can for one last go around and it will be a case I probably need to rewatch the first 2 at some point but I guess we will see by the release of the show when it drops on HBO Max from April 12th.

The Bride!

The last of the film trailers that we have for this week is in the focus to talk on another iconic figure of the movie monsters with a bit more of a modern twist where we have seen a fair amount of versions and focus of the man made monster (hell the most recent one is considered for many of this awards season) but its a case while they are present, it is more of the focus to the creature's desire of love that brings us this new take of the figure in focus as we are back with the release of the 2nd trailer for the upcoming new take of this character from Maggie Gyllenhaal with the trailer for The Bride!. Set in 1930's Chicago, Frankenstein's Monster (Christian Bale) asks Dr. Euphronius to help to create a companion for him. They give life to a murdered Woman as "The Bride" (Jessie Buckley), that soon sparks Romance, police interest and a lot of radical social change. If there is an interest in this case with this movie, its the focus that it has been quite a while since it was focused to the love interest of the original undead creation and has always been a case that its due time for them to get a focus once more and I do like this approach that while the original Bride of Frankenstein is such a classic of cinema from nearly a century ago, the ideals of giving this a more 60s aesthetic and having this Bonnie and Clyde focus to it all is a really interesting approach and I like what I am seeing here and hope that the film turns out to be a bit of an entertaining ordeal and in this case it is not too long away from release either as undead lovers will be brought back to life into cinemas from the 6th of March.

Ted Season 2

The last of the trailers for this week is taking us back to the realm of television for more of a return to a bit of a comedic affair with things getting a little more stuffed and fluffed and the vulgar language may be getting a little more tough as the popular raunchy talking teddy bear is back for another round of growing pains as we have the release of the trailer for the 2nd season of the popular comedy series of Ted. The new season will take us back to 1994 which will focus on the high school senior years for Ted and his best friend John, exploring their dysfunctional family dynamic with John's Parents and cousin Blaire, amidst more raunchy humour and heartfelt moments as they navigate teenage life, hinting at new challenges and deepening their bond. So I remember being a young teenager when the original films release and back then I thought they were funny and they have their moments or quoteable aspects over the years and I see them as being enjoyable and was a little skeptical on the first season but I was surprised by the show and actually really enjoyed it and found a fair bit funny as well and I  do hope that their is a sense of momentum with this follow up season that it has its appeal and kept what worked with season 1 in this new season and I am all interested in checking it out and its not too long away from release either as the new season will release on Peacock, Sky and Now from the 5th of March.

News for the Journey ahead

The messy show for all the wins: the Golden Globe big winners

So we start off this week with the first of 2 weeks of focus to something that have some connection to one another and that comes in the aspect of the award season focus stories and for the first one, we are focusing on the recently broadcasted Golden Globes to really get the focus to the world of entertainment that has won the big awards of the night in film and TV. Now before I delve into the winners, there has been a lot of discussion about the show which has emphasized that this years show was quite a disaster of being broadcasted from jokes that were too much pushing on Political, to keeping things too safe and even the audacity to cut some of these award show speeches out of the broadcast itself which is quite a messy thing. Now I haven't watched the show but I will give a look into the actual show eventually and see what comes from it all, but we are not focusing on the show itself but instead lets focus on the big winners of both categories and see if it gives us some idea for the main event in March.

So I will start off with the films in focus of the award show and it is a case that it seemed a little one sided but also then had a fair balance of films winning awards (which felt strange after watching the Game Awards last month and it was all a Clair Obscur sweep) but the biggest winner of the was with One Battle After Another winning 4 of its 9 nominations which includes best picture for Musical or Comedy (which I am still questioning is this film more of a Drama then a comedy cause I am getting 2 different perspectives) Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor and for both Screenplay and director for Paul Thomas Anderson which I can understand the appeal and deserving of the award in that regards. As for the runner up it became a 4 way tie for 2nd with Sinners, Hamnet, The Secret Agent and K-Pop Demon Hunters all winning 2 awards each with Sinners winning for Score and Box office, Hamnet for Best Picture in Drama and for Jesse Buckley for Best Actress, The Secret Agent for best International film and best Supporting Actor for Wagner Moura and then for K-Pop winning both best Animated feature and for best original song for Golden. The only other big win from this category went to Chalamet for best actor for Marty Supreme in the Music and Comedy side, which may see this be down to a possible 2 way battle now with Chalamet and Micheal B Jordan for lead actor (He won the award at the Critics choice and likely 3rd spot may be for Mescal or Dicaprio). As for the last of the lead Actress in comedy went to Rose Byrne for if I had Legs I'd Kick you and then Stellan Skarsgard winning supporting actor in Sentimental Value, which may take the win over many peoples initial frontrunner of Sean Penn as the general in OBAA. Now there was some drama in this mainly with people feeling that Sinners should've had better wins cause the Box office one feels a little cheap and they also cut off the acceptance speech for the Score award (which was in favor of stupid betting options and also is similar to the events that occoured in the critics choice where the best International film was awarded to the director on the red carpet and not even given a chance to a speech which is really spiteful) and the case as well people were not overly happy with Chalamet's acceptance speech given he thanked someone who has been causing quite the problem overseas from what I have heard (I don't know too much on it but I can sense that guy is not a good person but hard to say), but besides that overall I think a fair balance for most of these projects that it may help in giving an idea on what may be the best chances at the awards in March but I guess we'll see with the nominations next week.

As on the television side of things, It is a similar outcome in number of winning awards with the biggest winner of the night going to Adolescense winning for best limited series (though I have heard they are planning a 2nd Season but I really do not know if its necessary) as well as for Best Actor, Supporting Actor for Owen Cooper and for Supporting Actress with the only loss for them being in the same category as Supporting Actor. As for the runner ups in the top 3 was with both the Pitt and the Studio both winning 2 awards each with the Pitt winning for Best Tv Show in Drama and for Best actor for Noah Wyle and on the Studio it is the same but for Comedy and Seth Rogen winning best actor. On the other aspects of big Wins, best Comedy stand up went to everyones favourite Golden Globes host of Ricky Gervis, Rhea Seehorn won for best lead actress for Pluribus, Jean Smart won it for Hacks and Michelle Williams won for lead actress in the limited series with Dying for Sex. In all fairness it seemed like a fairly balanced side of things compared to more of a messy side with the film and most were decently well recieved and I see no issues with most of them in general. It will be interesting to see what will come of the awards in the following year of film and television but we will be back here in a years time to see just that.

But what do you think of these winners and announcements, what are your thoughts on the winners, who should've won in every category and who would you have added to the categories that were snubbed and if you had watched the show, what did you think of the whole event? Let me know what you think down below.

While Nintendo fights a monster and make it affordable, The Pokémon company wants to earn it all in Brick form

So on this next story is continuing to a story I talked on last week which I was not expecting to get any opinion or talk on this soon but we are talking once again about that little Danish Building toy of LEGO. Now last week I talked on the Smart Brick in the case it was finally unveiled and I had my thoughts on it and all (and it seems from what I have heard with those that have more of an insight to this brand have specified that it is really not that great and may require charging and does not have much battery life as well as other issues of not charging from other surfaces or be affected or warped by the Sun but maybe they will iron them out by those set releases on March 1st) but we are not here to talk on those sets but we are talking on a range I first mentioned a few weeks back was on the way and then was not expecting to see these unveiled until the end of next month but on Monday they unveiled the long awaited sets based on the magical world of Pokémon with the unveiling of the first 3 starting sets of this range and then also a pair of rewards from Gifts with Purchase and Insiders Points with the varying opinion being here and there. The sets unveiled started with the case of Eevee being the smallest and affordable set with it costing around €60 and the design of the figure is really cute and wholesome and its a case that I will be picking this one up with another set unrelated to this one but will discuss it later. Then there is a massive jump in price for the next Pokémon with the iconic figure of Pikachu which also comes with a buildable PokeBall and will cost €200 which I can sense as being reasonable but compared to another set based on a game that is often seen on a Nintendo Console its a little too costly and could be reduced slightly. But nothing comes in the way of the big centerpiece of it all and that is with the rumoured set that was confirmed of the Gen 1 starters in the 2nd evolution of Bulbasaur, Blastoise and Charizard with their own displays that can be attached together as well as being able to display on their own. Now it all sounds nice, except the price as it currently sits at a €650 price tag which is quite a lot. As for the 2 items that are not by cash, the Gift with purchase is one that has seen a lot of reselling online already even though the set is not out and its a buildable case with all of the badges of many of the regions and the one that you can buy with the insider points you accumulate is a little buildable Pokecenter. Now I can understand the complaints of the price especially with that last one as I feel by the size and amount it feels like it would be best to be priced around the 400-450 mark (essentially the price for a Switch 2) would be still pricey but the amount seems more tolerable instead of costing the same as the Titanic and Eiffel Tower sets. It would also be a case that another LEGO competitor of Mega Blocks has had the range of Pokémon sets for quite some time and all varying sizes for more affordable amounts as well (which I feel is about to see a lot of price increases for them). Now It has already seen a case of thee pre-orders being sold out and some people are selling them for double the price as well as high prices for the gift with purchase (a similar thing that occoured with the recent Stranger Things set and the small Squak Box radio station set that came with the larger piece) and I worry this will be a thing now, but hopefully it will be a thing to buy eventually (and a case of one of 2 goals of either I get to the sub goal by this year or an earlier option is that I am selected as a creator for Gamerfest but we will see).

As for the other big set unveiled, there was a set teased at the end of last year that has been alluded to a certain elfling hero fighting something much greater in size to him and a princess and that was all that was teased, but it was just on Friday where they finally unveiled the set itself in the form of the final battle from the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time which will have a base build and Giant build Ganondorf as well as minifigs of Link, Zelda and Ganon as well which is really cool. Now this set is not going to be as costly and will be dropping 2 days after the Pokémon range at €120 which seems really nice and resonable in comparison for its size and display and one I will try and buy on day 1 but we will see. I know some complain that it feels not as big as it should for the price but I feel its sizable enough for a decent display piece and will be well worth a purchase and part of many of the new ones this year that I am interested in and look forward to being revealed (such as a certain followup to last years plumber in a kart with his taller bro being rumoured). Sure the likes of some sets can vary in price but if there is appeal then I will spend my adult money (or get to a level where I could get some free ones from the company) to buy these appealing sets of bricks for display (and must find places to display them).

But what do you think of all of these sets, do you see the Pokémon sets as being reasonable or way overpriced and do you see them getting some price cut at some point for some of these, and what are your thoughts on the 2nd Legend of Zelda set and what other parts of that series would you like to see made into a LEGO set or other Nintendo Property to get some LEGO range? Let me know what you think down below and we can discuss those there.

A Hodge Podge to Adaptions, follow ups and return with new looks

The next story of focus (and may be the last story for the week) is bringing us the selection of some of the variety of choice from the castings, the release dates and some possible new project announcements on the way from all forms and I will delve into discussing all of the announcement in this news story, so lets see what this week had to offer

So we are starting off with the casting focus and we are heading all the way over to the realm of the video game adaptions and while we have been given a first look to another person (which is with Sophie Turner as Lara Croft going for the classic video game look and attire and I think she looks great and has now entered production) but we are actually heading to Amazon which has seen some solid focus of adaptions and its time we get some updates on the other project that has been a little quiet for a few weeks and that is the focus with the ghost of Sparta himself of the God of War Adaptation. Now the last we talked on this was the whole ordeal about the original showrunners dropping out before it was quickly revived by some new creatives with some well solid showrunners and writers and giving it the focus to the more story heavy Norse saga games which I will be interested to see how they turn out in general and it was down to wonder what will we see of any casting, but that all finally changed this week which started off with the casting of the main god killer himself as it was confirmed that Sons od anarchy star Ryan Hurst was officially cast as Kratos for this series and in all sense of things I am so glad that they did as the photo he shared is proper solid and I feel he fits the role well instead of it being the basis array of large muscular dudes playing the God of War and what is also a coincidence is that he has been a part of this series already with being the voice of Thor in the Ragnarok title so it all works out. Now it was not the only confirmed casting that we got from this week as a few days later they unveiled another 3 additions to the cast for this title with the first being Lights Out Actress Teresa Palmer set to play the role of Sif in the title, who is known as the Wife of Thor, which makes it sound they are jumping straight to the Ragnarok title or else will have a brief presence in the first season if it follows the 2018 title. As for the last 2 that were unveiled, we were confirmed that Boots and Vampire Academy Actor Max Parker has been cast as Baldur, the Son of Freya and was seen as one of the main antagonists of the 2018 title who was cursed with a spell of immortality and then lastly Severance Actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson has been cast as this interpretation of the God of Thunder himself of Thor. Overall I see all of them as pretty solid choices that I do wonder if it will be a case of mixing aspects of both narratives into one season or giving each season one game each or something as Thor and Sif are not majorly present in the first game but are mentioned but I am sure we will get an idea of that in due time. Now the only real major cast left to get unveiled for this is the Witch of the Woods of Freya, The smartest man of Mimir, The all father of Odin and of course Kratos son of Atreus but I am sure we will see them get unveiled in due time and if the case we hear anything else I will provide it in a later episode.

Keeping it in the realm of fantasy for the focus of this next casting addition, we are staying in the age of Vikings but more in the realm where there is a bit of mythical beasts with dragons as we have some relating to the planned sequel to the Live Action Remake of How to Train your Dragon. Now if you recall if you may remember the film, its the major aspect that the sequel reintroduced the mother of Hiccup of Valka who had been long presumed dead but is revealed to be alive and went off with the dragons to protect the young child from certain death and it was a case that it was unclear as to who may be playing this character or if it will be like Gerard Butler and cast the original voice actress for the role. Well it seems they have gone in the latter direction as it was confirmed on Thursday of this week that actress Cate Blanchett will return to portray the character for this film (and likely the 3rd movie as well) which I feel makes the most sense and her performance in the 2 last ones were pretty decent (even I am a little mixed on 2 or see it as the weakest but don't overly hate the movie). It was however not the only casting as we are talking again about Ólafsson cause he was also cast into this film as well (really sticking with the norse roots of his casting lately) as he will be set to portray the villain of Drago Bludvist in the sequel and I can see him do well in that role and I am sure he can bring that menace as the god of Thunder and also as the Dragon Hunter Warlord. Overall in the case I will be interested to see if my issues with this follow up could be improved with this adaption but I guess we will see by the start of production and for its release next June and if any more new additions are added to the cast of major focus I will provide them in a later episode.

Another story that is keeping us in the realm of High fantasy and Dragons is taking us over to the lands of Westeros for these next 2 stories as we are first talking on another new project that seems to be in the works from this expansive story and world. Now there is 2 project that have gotten some idea of being planned with one that was alluded to was a project about the conquest and legacy of the legendary warrior of Aegon Targaryen that is possibly in the process of being made into either a tv series or as a feature film, but this concept is all in early days so we will see how that goes by then, but this is more in a focus to a different series that seems to have been confirmed to be in the works and more in the realm of a sequel series to the original show and that is the case that a planned series focused on Arya Stark may be in the works. Now this is coming from the concept that initially started as a sequel series that was focused on Jon Snow, but in that regards the project soon was shelved as the concept of the show was seen as too bleak and depressing where it was mainly Snow just being traumatized and isolated and rejected Heroism and abandoned his bested boy of Ghost and trusty Longclaw until his demise and it just felt like it would too much of a depression. The concept of the Arya series and her going off beyond westeros to see what lies beyond has been one that many people have agreed upon would've fit for a follow up series and I was one of them as well that I feel it could work out better as a appealing send off then the final season became. Now the likes of this would be to wonder if the series would be set soon after or have a bit of a time jump and the case as well if actress Maisie Williams would also be making a return to all of this as well as it has been 7 years since the finale and maybe even 8 since they filmed the final season so it will be well worth to see what comes of it. Either way I will be interested to see if this comes about and if any new news comes out about this all I will provide in a later episode.

Now we do have one more bit of fantasy news and based on the world of Game of Thrones but this one is to do with a bit of an ordeal that has come out one of the other spin offs that have already made their presence known and that is with House of the Dragon cause it seems there is a bit of tension going on with the showrunner and the author and it seems to have gotten a bit too messy and has been described by the author as "Abysmal". Now the basis seems to be that the showrunner and author were all good and solid partners throughout the development of the shows first season and all seemed good and well (which seemed to be seen with the appeal and reception to Season 1 as well). However it soon got more and more distant where they were budding heads or not taking the advice or notes that the author was giving and seemed to be going against the norm and where a lot of the cracks to many people thought were starting to show from aspects from that followup season and it may be even a case with Season 3 on the way this summer, to the point where HBO told Martin to give his notes to them and they'll give them to the showrunner. To me this sounds like a lot of mess and ordeal in the outcome as the case of them going against the creative mind behind this world could spell disaster, which is similar to how many people felt about the Witcher adaption in that it does not fellow any of the narratives of the books themselves, which gives me concern with the show having 2 more seasons to release that it may spell disaster when there was a lot of promise to come back to this world after the original series ending. I guess for the moment we will have to see what comes of the show when Season 3 releases in the summer but if any new news comes about this I will provide when I can.

For one last on casting based news, this one is not really on an actor but rather on the focus of a new director that may be taking up a new iteration of this now planned trilogy of films as its reported the Housemaid director Paul Feig, while also making a follow up to the first film, will also tapping his directing duties into a musical film as he may be helming the 3rd film of the Mamma Mia film series. Now I am not sure what the case is for the 3rd one in how they will go about the story, unless its like the first film again where its Amanda Seyfried's Daughter all grown up and getting married or trying to keep the whole island village in tact from being demolished or sold off cause they had the whole ordeal of Meryl Streep's character supposedly died off screen before the sequel started and got her backstory that led to the ordeal of the original movie and musical but maybe they have an idea in mind and use the extensive discography of Abba (including reported new tracks for this film) to tell the story but I guess we will see if it does and I see Feig as a decent choice to helm the 3rd film in general. Now at the moment this film is all just speculation and nothing has been officially set in stone or confirmed but I guess if anything new come up I will provide it in a later episode.

Now for this next section, I decided to lump the release date focus for this part into just one story as there is not too many and they both fall under the same genre of Horror as we were given the release dates for 2 films in long running franchises that may have their appeal or some that feel it may be stretching it a little too thin. We start with the first one and it was a case that we were officially given a release date to the new take on the long running Exorcist series that is being made by Mike Flanagan and this new adaption will be releasing now on March 12th 2027 which is confirmed to be starring Scarlett Johansson. If there is anything I hope is that it has the appeal of the series and not reliant on the sense of fan service or legacy characters which seemed to be the issue that the previous attempt had for them and messed up in the execution but I guess we'll see by the first bit of footage or release in a year. As for the other film that is set for release, it seems this franchise is not done telling the tales of these investigators (or possible liars, hard to say) but it looks like we are getting another film in the Conjuring universe with the new film entitled First Communion set for release on 10th September 2027 and will serve as a prequel to all of the films in the series and tell of how they began their careers or their first case in that regards. Now I have yet to watch that last entry but I feel it may be time to call it a day on the series as it has been a case if this continues that it will be milking it at a point but I know there is other projects set in the form of series and some of the spirits but I guess we will have to see from it all. Now I am sure we will probably hear more about these projects and of any other set planned actors to appear in the future but I guess we will see by these film releases in 2027.

Now for some reported rumours or possible confirmation and it seems to be in the realm of some video game news as there is reports that we may be heading back to some familiar locations with a bit more of a fresh coat of paint and some sense of exploration lost to the world of ruin as there is reports that we may be getting a remaster of not 1 but 2 entries in the Fallout in the focus of both Fallout 3 and New Vegas. I see this as being a likely thing to happen given the success with the Oblivion Remake from last year as well as the critical success and appeal of the ongoing tv series adaption that is still airing season 2 and I feel it makes sense to give them a proper next gen update and remaster as they were mid to late 2000s titles and could really do with some nice new visuals and aesthetics and if they do drop I will be more then happy to play them. Now at the moment I am not fully sure if they are confirmed or if there is still just rumoured releases but if anything changes I will provide them in a later episode (or they get shadow dropped like Oblivion last year).

For one semblance of Animation news this week, this one I am unsure if its being confused with a different project already confirmed in the works or if this is a separate project, but it seems to be a case that according to comic actor Keegan Michael Key, it seems that their is a planned 5th film in the Hotel Transylvania series in the works. Now the reason I see this as being a little confusing is because there is already a set planned new project in this franchise on the way with the release of the Motel Transylvania that was recently delayed to next year at the end of last year, so unless he is talking about that then I am not fully sure but maybe its 2 separate projects. In this case I do have to wonder as well if this will see the full cast back as the last film in the series of Transformania saw both Adam Sandler and Kevin James being recast with Sandler reason being scheduling conflicts but unknown about James but likely they may both return for this or have the 2 other from the 4th film return as the voices (who honestly did a solid job all things considered). I am sure we will get the information cleared up about and see what comes of it and once we hear anything else about it all and when we may see it soon I will provide it in a later episode.

Now the last part of this weeks stories is keeping us in the realm of Sony but instead of animation we are taking more of the pages from the realm of Comic Books as we have some news related to Sony Pictures license with Marvel Character (Specifically the catalogue of characters related to Spider-Man). Now if you recall, Sony is the studio that still owns the film rights to the character after they bought them off the Marvel studios back in the 90s to help them out of Bankruptcy and it has been a case of where he has been since that ordeal with the reason it took a while before he joined the roster of heroes in the Marvel banner was due to Sony having to make a deal with them to share the rights to be used and the case why you see all of these solo films based on his Rogue's Gallery from Kraven, Venom and Morbius (and where we also see some peak animation with the Spider-verse films) and that a lot of them were kept out of consideration for a long time, but it may be all about to change. As of the end of last week, Sony announced that they are now allowing Marvel to use some of the Spider-Man heroes and Rogues gallery to appear more in the MCU in due time which will likely see those villains with the solo films as well as the heroes including Madame Web, the Spider-Women and also Miles Morales to make an appearance in the future for the Marvel films (Which I guess may make sense for some elements for the next saga or as part of a possible Multiverse Incursion in Secret Wars). Now I am intrigued to see how they will go about the implementation of said characters in the future and if the case we will see those same actors and actresses return for those roles (with the only one that is rumoured that may not be back is Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock but I have no idea) but I am sure we will start to see them slowly but surely be implemented in the future films and if the case I see any other news come from all of this I will provide in a later episode.

But what do you make of all of these stories, do you see the castings for the God of War Series as solid or who would you have cast, are you happy of the return of Blanchett for the Dragon sequel as well as the choice for Bloodvist, Would you watch the Game of Thrones sequel focused on Arya or do you think we should've had the Jon Snow series instead, do you feel the 3rd season of House of the Dragon will suffer from this conflict, Is Paul Feig a solid choice for a 3rd Mamma Mia film or do we even need a 3rd film, will you be watching these new entries of the Exorcist and Conjuring, will you be playing the new Fallout remasters if they are made and released, is the 5th Hotel Transylvania worth it and is it in anyway connected to the new Motel series and which rogues gallery from the Spiderman characters are you most excited for to see in the MCU? Let me know what you think of them all down below.

And now finally with all of that, this brings us to the end of the 151st edition of Weird Mind News Room and I hope you enjoyed the overlong ramblings of this week. Let me know your thoughts on all that was released and discussed down below and as always I hope you all stay being wonderful people and have a great day everyday doing many great things I will see you all in the next episode :)

Take Care, Keep being you, signing off

Sam H :)