Fantastic Beasts

Monday December 17th 2018

This weekend nerd and geek cinema kicked off it's two week takeover with three brand spanking new movies. The competition is going to be fierce and brutal, so some are bound to get buried. Let's take a look at the results.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse made $35,400,000 making it the champion of not just nerd and geek movies, but the box office overall.

Ralph Breaks the Internet gained the fourth spot for the weekend, adding $9,589,000 to its four week total.

Mortal Engines was the victim of this vicious battle raking in only $7,501,000 in its first weekend. The movie is a passion project of Peter Jackson reuniting him with Lord Of The Rings star Hugo Weaving.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald did a solid 5th week making $3,650,000.

Once Upon a Deadpool may be considered a disappointment with only $2,600,000 in its first week, but with it being a re-edit this is nothing but profit.

Next weekend the competition gets even more ruthless with Aquaman, Bumblebee, and Mary Poppins Returns joining the fray.

Please post your reviews of any of these movies in the comments. What movies should we all rush to?

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance cast members and first images:

Want to know who will be the voices involved in the upcoming Netflix prequel of The Dark Crystal? Leading the voice cast are Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Nathalie Emmanuel, as Rian, Brea and Deet, three Gelfling heroes. Other Gelfling characters are voiced by Helena Bonham-Carter, Eddie Izzard, Shazad Latif, and many more. Adding their voice talent to The Skeksis & Mystics are Mark Hamill, Keegan-Michael Key, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, and several others.

Based on original 1982 production of The Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a prequel set many years before the events of the original movie.

Netflix has announced a few details of what the plot will be: "The world of Thra is dying. The Crystal of Truth is at the heart of Thra, a source of untold power. But it is damaged, corrupted by the evil Skeksis, and a sickness spreads across the land. When three Gelfling uncover the horrific truth behind the power of the Skeksis, an adventure unfolds as the fires of rebellion are lit and an epic battle for the planet begins."

http://netflix.com/thedarkcrystal

http://www.henson.com

http://www.facebook.com/hensoncompany

http://www.twitter.com/hensoncompany

http://www.instagram.com/hensoncompany

Karen Gillan is out promoting The Party's Just Beginning that she is the director, writer, and star of.

The movie is available on Amazon Prime now, but what we want to talk about are her words about part three of Guardians of the Galaxy.

In a recent interview with People magazine she talked about her role as Nebula and the future of the series without James Gunn.

“Our director won’t be with us any longer but we are excited to continue the Guardians of the Galaxy story and keep delivering to the fans. That’s the most important thing. I don’t have any details as to when [the next Guardians film will come out] but there’s a script in existence.”

There is no way James Gunn is coming back, so who do you think can save the Guardians Of The Galaxy?

https://io9.gizmodo.com/karen-gillan-offers-an-update-on-guardians-of-the-galax-1831132078

Monday December 10th 2018

This weekend had the second lowest box office of the year, but next weekend should be massive.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Mortal Engines, and Once Upon A Deadpool will be released just days from now.

This is followed with Aquaman, Bumblebee, and Mary Poppins Returns on December 21st.

So you can call this 'The calm before the storm.'

Ralph Breaks the Internet still topped the box office with $16,253,831.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald raked in $6,953,846 for the weekend.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

Netflix has released a teaser for season three of Stranger Things without releasing a single scene from the upcoming season.

They released the episode titles and that the show will be based in the year 1985.

The show titles announced are “Suzie, Do You Copy?,” “The Mall Rats,” “The Case of the Missing Lifeguard,” “The Sauna Test,” “The Source,” “The Birthday,” “The Bite,” and “The Battle of Starcourt.”

Some speculate that the Suzie mentioned in the first episode is Max Mayfield's mother Susan Hargrove.

Maybe the second episode is a trip to the mall that doesn't go as planned?

It's a pretty safe bet that the last episode will be a big fight against this seasons evil beast.

Please post the most ridiculous predictions possible in the comments.

Let's have some fun with these vague titles.

https://bgr.com/2018/12/10/stranger-things-season-3-episode-titles/

Bumblebee won't be released into theaters until December 21st, but it's already getting a 100% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Since that's only based on 12 reviews, that should be taken with a massive sized grain of salt.

Maybe people are just THAT happy that Michael Bay isn't in charge of the Transformers franchise anymore?

Or could it be that Travis Knight's work on Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls received so much respect that the hopes are extremely high.

Only time will tell if this sixth movie in the Transformers franchise can live up to those high expectations.

Will Bumblebee live up to the hype?

Post your thoughts in the comments.

https://comicbook.com/movies/2018/12/09/transformers-bumblebee-100-percent-rotten-tomatoes/

BUCKETHEADS: A Star Wars Story (2018 Fan Film)

Sometimes a Star Wars Fan Film is released that everyone needs to stand up and take notice of.

BUCKETHEADS is one of these fan films.

Shot in September 2017 in Vancouver, BC, Canada, it had over 76 people directly involved in the project.

The story covers one battle from the Stormtroopers point of view.

Clocking in at 13 minutes and 34 seconds, it is highly recommended.

So please watch it and let us know what you think in the comments.

https://youtu.be/t6GUxb0kCCA

Monday December 3rd 2018

Movies for Nerds and geeks have once again ruled the major motion picture box office.

Ralph Breaks The Internet leads the pack with a total of $25,756,000 for the weekend.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald raked in $11,200,000 during its third week.

Venom is still printing money in the ninth week with a $380,000 weekend total.

But keep in mind that the real invasion is still on the way.

December 14th three movies are unleashed.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Once Upon A Deadpool, and Mortal Engines.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/


Pollyanna McIntosh revealed that “things are in process” for the Rick Grimes movie trilogy.

The trilogy will be overseen by chief content officer Scott Gimple.

McIntosh also told fans at the Fan Fest San Jose that she assumes that she will be involved.

It is also been strongly hinted that the trilogy will give more detail about the well-equipped helicopter group.

The Walking Dead returns with its back half of Season Nine Sunday, February 10th on AMC.

https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2018/12/02/the-walking-dead-rick-grimes-movie-details-helicopter-community-pollyanna-mcintosh-jadis-anne/


So Star Wars Galaxy Of Adventures was launched on YouTube Friday.

There is very clearly a reason why this was launched on Star Wars Kids instead of the main Star Wars outlets.

The videos seemed flooded with comments talking about how the videos were great and would indeed open up Star Wars to a younger audience.

When I tried to watch them, they came off as trailers to a show that would never happen.

They were so short, that there was zero story.

Because they were only select scenes, there was not even what could be called a short story arch.

In short, older nerds need not apply, but let us know in the comments if your kids enjoy them.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDe7m0POuwkL1gwnQ-FVhMw


Saturday December 8th at 1:00 pm the Nerds Drink Whiskey Christmas party begins.

We will be giving away our shot glasses, low ball glasses, and our brand new Nerds Drink Whiskey t-shirts!

Be entertained as the cast of Nerds Drink Whiskey exchange the worst Christmas presents they could find for each other.

And of course there will be whiskey tastings all at Dogger's in Yelm Wa.

We hope you can make it!

https://www.facebook.com/events/188954781983246/


Monday November 26th 2018

Monday November 26th 2018: Episode 16


Box Office Results:

Nerd movies are taking over your local theater.

In celebration, here are the box office totals of movies for nerds:

Venom has dominated with a worldwide total of $822,507,620 after Thanksgiving weekend.

Wreck It Ralph had a solid start with a worldwide total of $125,972,000.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald did horrible in the United States during its two weeks, but has a worldwide total of $439,717,238.

And keep in mind that Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) will hit theaters December 14th.

The very next week both Aquaman and Bumblebee hit theaters to ensure Nerds and Geeks don't get bored this holiday season.

Which movies are you most excited about? Feel free to post your reviews in the comments.  

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

https://www.imdb.com/movies-coming-soon/2018-12/



Obi-Wan Kenobi is movie back on!?

Also, George Lucas will return to make it?

And why is Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson the one to leak this information?

At the DUP Conference he said "Which was the biggest grossing movie last year? Star Wars and where does George Lucas propose to make a follow up about Obi-Wan Kenobi? Northern Ireland."

Is this a course correction while Disney tries to repair the damage of Kathleen Kennedy and Rian Johnson?

Or is it the ravings of a crazy person that isn't aware that Lucasfilm made it clear that the Obi Wan Kenobi movie was dead?

It's all speculation at this point, so post your thoughts in the comments below.

https://movieweb.com/obi-wan-kenobi-movie-rumor-george-lucas-directing-ireland-2019/


A Judge Dredd tv show

Rebellion, based in nearby Oxford, is a comic book publisher and games developer

An Oxford based comic book publisher is taking over a print newspaper building to create a movie studio complex.

Rebellion's flagship productions are said to be a Judge Dredd tv show and a movie of extremely cult comic Rogue Trooper.

The studio will include Six soundstages, 220,000 sq ft, and 500 employees.

With such a major studio kicking things off with comic book based storytelling, is about as risky as it gets.

We wish them nothing but luck and it will be a dream if they pull it off.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-46289086


Friday November 23rd 2018

01 The Satanic Temple Settles Case Against Netflix

It looks like The Satanic Temple has settled their case against Netflix.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina used a Baphomet throughout season one, that looked almost exactly like the Baphomet used by The Satanic Temple.

Lucien Greaves of The Satanic Temple has announced that the lawsuit has been “amicably settled.”

The temple will be acknowledged in the credits for episodes of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” that have already been filmed.

All other details of the settlement are confidential and will not be released at this time.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/arts/satanic-temple-sabrina-statue.html

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02 Stranger Things actress UNICEF’s Youngest Goodwill Ambassador

Millie Bobby Brown (who plays Eleven on Stranger Things) is now the youngest UNICEF's goodwill ambassador.

The internationally known actress is currently 14 years old.

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund made the announcement recently.

"Given UNICEF's global role as the world's leading voice for children and young people, to be the

youngest-ever Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF is more than an honor. It's a powerful privilege."

The third season of Stranger Things began production in April 2018, but will not be released until mid-2019 sometime.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/21/millie-bobby-brown-unicef-goodwill-ambassador.html

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03 George R.R. Martin Harassed by Stephen Colbert

George R.R. Martin was recently on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert where the host harassed him a little about his lack of focus on finishing The Winds Of Winter.

Martin just released his 700 page Fire and Blood with the acknowledgement that it's only the first half of his prequel story.

He promised Colbert that he would release The Winds Of Winter before working on the second half of Fire And Blood.

Martin has hinted several times that The Winds Of Winter will be the darkest of the books in the series.

https://ew.com/tv/2018/11/22/george-r-r-martin-game-of-thrones-origin/

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04 Hugh Jackman Is Done With Wolverine

Most of us understand that Hugh Jackman is finished playing the role of Wolverine.

Deadpool's Ryan Reynolds has been trying to convince him to return to the role.

But the actor has stayed firm that no matter how much he enjoyed it, he is done.

"When I saw Deadpool, I was like, wow that's cool. It's just a matter of time. It's a

bit like you're at the greatest party you've ever been at, you've been dancing for an hour

and a half, and then you're just like 'It's time, ok. If I stay any longer, it's gonna get

ugly.' It's like, it's time."

https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/11/22/hugh-jackman-wolverine-time-to-move-on-x-men/

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05 The Crimes of Grindelwald rakes in $300M

Fantastic Beasts 2 has raked in $300M total so far!

This means that it has already passed its budget of $200 million.

It's six-day domestic total is up to $81m.

This is still well below the $814 million total for the first Fantastic Beasts movie.

In October 2016, Rowling announced that the Fantastic Beasts film series would be comprised of five films.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/11/22/box-office-fantastic-beasts-2-tops-300m-as-bohemian-rhapsody-passes-400m/#170940876ab2

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06 Wreck It Ralph On Fortnite

Fortnite has never been above a little bit of a crossover tie in.

In May they made Thanos a playable character.

This being a Wreck it Ralph weekend, it's not shocking that he has been seen in the game.

A Reddit user going by the tag MozzzyyTwitch saw the big guy on a movie screen at the Risky Reels location.

Of course Ralph Breaks the Internet has enough pop culture references to give Ready Player One a run for its money.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/22/wreck-it-ralph-fortnite/

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07 Is Venom Sequel Confirmed?

While we hold out hope that Jared Leto's Morbius won't be as disappointing as his Joker, Sony has confirmed a Venom sequel.

The first Venom has raked in $780.2 million so far world wide, so it's not shocking that a sequel is being made.

Morbius will be released on July 10th of 2020, while Spider-Man: Far From Home is scheduled for release on July 5th of 2019.

So the “untitled Sony-Marvel sequel” coming on October 2nd could only be the sequel to Venom.

So we have less time to wait until we see Woody Harrelson devour some scenery as Carnage.

https://news.avclub.com/it-looks-like-sony-just-quietly-confirmed-a-venom-seque-1830599763

Wednesday November 14th 2018

The four confirmed movies with Stan Lee's Involvement:  

The two absolutely confirmed cameos are Captain Marvel and Avengers 4.

However, his voice will be heard in both Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Ralph Breaks The Internet.

In further Stan lee news:

Stan Lee's daughter claims that she has created a new character called DIRT MAN with her father before he passed away.

Could Dirt Man be legit or is this more of his daughter trying to milk his legacy for all she can?

Will Dirt Man have that Stan Lee level of quality to it without the collaboration of Steve Ditko?

Only time will tell.

https://screenrant.com/stan-lee-cameos-upcoming-marvel-movies-last-confirmed/

http://www.tmz.com/2018/11/13/stan-lee-daughter-jc-lee-new-dirt-man-superhero-father-death/



Every episode of Game Of Thrones season 8 will be over an hour long.

Game Of Thrones director David Nutter let fans know this in a recent Reddit AMA.

Some rumors are claiming that the episodes will run about 90 minutes long.

Nutter also insinuated that season 8 will have moments that outshine the infamous Red Wedding.

It is also now confirmed that season 8 will kick off in April of 2019 on HBO.

https://ew.com/tv/2018/11/13/game-of-thrones-final-season-episode-length/



It seems now that if a major movie doesn't break a billion dollars, that it is a failure.

The budget for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was about $200 Million.

Although the movie won't open in the United States until Friday November 16th, many are speculating about it's potential.

If it earns between $65 million and $75 million domestically, that would put it pretty close to what the last Fantastic Beasts movie made.

This could mean that the movie would rake in around $800 million.

With fan reaction to this sequel being much better than the first Harry Potter prequel, it could end up making more.

Do you think this movie will be more magical than the last one at the box office?

https://variety.com/2018/film/box-office/box-office-fantastic-beasts-crimes-of-grindelwald-opening-weekend-1203027300/


Wednesday November 7th 2018

WEDNESDAY:


This is Nerd News for Wednesday November 7th 2018.

Nerd News is sponsored by NerdsDrinkWhiskey.com

Always sip, Never slam.

Click the link in the show notes for more info

and we hope to see you at our Christmas party Saturday December 8th.

http://nerdsdrinkwhiskey.com


Wolverine: The Long Night is Marvel's first scripted podcast.

The first 9 episodes are available now at WolverinePodcast.com.

With only one episode left a second season has been announced.

Richard Armitage will return as Logan, along with Bill Irwin as Jason Wyngarde, Bell Heck as Remy LeBeau, and Blair Brown as Bonnie Roach.

The second season will be released in winter of 2019 and it will be called Wolverine: The Lost Trail.

https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/11/05/wolverine-the-lost-trail-long-night-season-2/

https://www.wolverinepodcast.com/



Does Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald break canon?

There is a young Professor Minerva McGonagall in the latest movie.

This latest movie is set in 1927, but many Harry Potter fans will tell you that Minerva McGonagall was born in 1935.

How is she in a movie when she hadn't even been born yet?

For the full (and very detailed) calculations on this, click the link in the show notes.

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2460786/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-looks-as-if-its-breaking-harry-potter-canon


Nerds Drink Whiskey recently announced that our Christmas party on December 8th will feature the most nerdy whiskey we can find.

Just in time Star Trek has announced Montgomery Scott Blended Scotch Whiskey.

Yes this is a Scotch named after Scotty from the original Star Trek.

CBS Consumer Products have officially licensed the blended scotch whiskey.

The plans are to have it on the selves just in time for our Christmas party on December 8th.

A James T. Kirk Bourbon Whiskey has been out since this past summer.

http://www.treknews.net/2018/11/05/star-trek-montgomery-scott-scotch/


In the worst news ever department: There is a rumor that Matt Smith might play a young Sheev Palpatine.

So my least favorite Doctor might be my all time favorite villain?

This could mean that J.J. Abrams is making something from Legends into cannon.

In Star Wars Legends Palpatine used Essence transfer to clones in order to cheat death.

This could also be an interesting twist since in Legends Palpatine tries to overtake the conscience of Anakin Solo.

In current cannon Anakin Solo is called Ben Solo, which is of course Kylo Ren.

https://screenrant.com/star-wars-9-matt-smith-palpatine-rumors/




I want to try something new for Nerd News.

About once a week I will pose a question to everyone to chime in on.

The question is simple: Is it nerdy?

HBO has announced that the long promised Deadwood movie is officially in production.  

The film will begin ten years after season three ended.

Almost the entire cast has returned with Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Parker, Paula Malcomson, Dayton Callie, and many more.

The shows' creator David Milch wrote the movie too, so this should excite fans to no end.

Although everyone on the Nerds Drink Whiskey podcast are fans of the show, is it nerdy?

https://www.nme.com/news/tv/production-begins-deadwood-movie-almost-full-cast-returning-2397478