First Footage Shown from Seth Green and Matt Senreich's Star Wars: Detours Animated Series

Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich, joined by their collaborator Todd Grimes, finally unveiled footage and details on the upcoming new animated series Star Wars: Detours at Star Wars Celebration VI today.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/24/first-footage-shown-from-seth-green-and-matt-senreichs-star-wars-detours-animated-series

Source : ign[dot]com

First Footage Shown from Seth Green and Matt Senreich's Star Wars: Detours Animated Series

Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich, joined by their collaborator Todd Grimes, finally unveiled footage and details on the upcoming new animated series Star Wars: Detours at Star Wars Celebration VI today.

It was noted that this series takes place in-between Episode III and IV, with a completely comedic take on the Star Wars world. The focus was on the mundane – what do these characters do in their downtime? As Grimes put it, “Where do Gamorrean Guards grocery shop? Does Darth Vader do online dating? The answer is yes. We answer all these things.”

A ton of footage was shown, beginning with a long trailer. As far as the show’s style, it’s CGI animated, but the characters are very exaggerated, Chibi/super deformed style – Folks like Princess Leia and Admiral Ackbar are very small, with large heads. And Leia’s trademark hair buns are HUGE!

The quick-cut trailer had a lot of gags that felt very similar in tone to what Robot Chicken does (though less adults only than that show can get). Gags included Boba Fett making up an elaborate lie to a girl about how he’d called her but she must not have gotten his message, Admiral Ackbar trying a ton of variations on what his catch phrase will be – It’s a frappe!” -- before finding the right one, and Obi-Wan getting a terrible response as he tries standup comedy and then using the Force on the audience, as he intones, “That joke was hilarious and you all liked it.” ” We also saw Jar Jar Binks walk up to Dexter Jettster and ask why everyone hates him and Dexter asking Jar Jar how honest he wants him to be.

Among my favorite of the gags shown were two Stormtroopers recreating a famous Luke and Leia moment, as they attempt to swing across a chasm in the Death Star. “For luck” says one to the other and they fist bump. As they swing across, the door on the other side slams shut and they hit it, plummeting down… only to land a few feet below on what seems to be the vast tunnel below. “It’s a matte painting!” exclaims one of the Troopers. “They haven’t finished…

Besides the trailer, several other clips were shown. In the series, the Death Star is being built, under the pretense that it’s a giant mall. As Green pointed out, if you’re building something the size of a moon, “people are going to know!” so that’s the cover story. “George was insistent that there be an IT guy,” Green noted, of the staff we’ll meet on the Death Star.

As for Darth Vader, the Detours producers joked that given that this was a relative time of peace in the Galaxy, Darth Vader is a bit restless. As Senreich put it, “He’s the guy cutting ribbons at the supermarket. He’s got nowhere else to be right now. He’s got nothing to do.”

The relationship between Vader and the Emperor looks to be a version of the very funny one seen on Robot Chicken, with Seth MacFarlane again voicing Palpatine. A clip was shown in which Palpatine tries to cover up to Vader that he leaked a story to a TMZ-like show called Galaxy Rumors and we see that Palpatine has made a lot of calls to this show, including exclaiming, “I totally saw the Emperor dancing the night away with three Twi'lek models!” Joel McHale voices the host of Galaxy Rumors seen in this sequence with Mass Effect’s Jennifer Hale voicing Major Steel, an imperial officer who will be a frequent presence on the show.

A lot of time will be spent on Tatooine on the series, including familiar locations like the Cantina and the Lars homestead (though interestingly/curiously, no footage of Luke was in anything we saw today). A scene was shown of Han and Chewbacca inside the Falcon on the desert planet – with Grimes noting that in the show, “They’ve been together so long, they’re kind of like an old married couple.”

And indeed, that was their dynamic, with Han coming home late, to find a furious Chewbacca sitting in front of foot he made for them. When Chewbacca growls at Han as he walks across the Falcon, Han replies, “Of course I have sand on my boots! It’s Tatooine! Nobody asked you to vacuum!” Finally, Chewbacca yanks the Dejarik table up and under his arm and storms off outside, with Han pulling up alongside him in the Falcon, swinging open the canopy and saying, “Come on Chewie, get in the Falcon!”

It was noted by Green, Senreich and Grimes that the Falcon in the show was completely based off the original toy version we all had growing up – hence the canopy opening up and the removable table, plus, Green revealed, there’s a lightsaber training droid hanging on a string.

Another major element in the series is Dex’s Diner, which gives an Alice or Cheers vibe to the proceedings, as characters come in and out. We saw a scene with Leia set here, who Green noted was a 14-year old who’s mad at the world, doesn’t know who her real parents are and sick of the decoys accompanying her everywhere to happen. As Green put it, “This is a bitch waiting to happen!” The voice of Padme on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Catherine Taber voices Leia and all her decoys here.

In the clip we saw, Dexter dots on the bratty Leia and her decoys, with Leia proclaiming, “This is my favorite food. I only eat here,” only for a commercial to come on for a rival restaurant starring Leia, in which she says the exact same thing. Dexter looks appropriately shocked and we then see that Han and Lando are sitting eating at the counter eating and Han says, “That kind of betrayal is shocking!” Replies Lando, “Hey, business is business! They probably got to her right before Dex did!”

In a very fun reveal, we were told Billy Dee Williams was reprising the role of Lando for the series, along with Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Ahmed Best as Jar-Jar. Detours head writer Brendan Hay (a Daily Show alum) and producer Jennifer Hill joined the panel, as more writers and cast members were revealed.

The impressive writing staff for Detours includes many Robot Chicken alums, including Dan Milano, Tom Root, Zeb Wels, Doug Goldstein, Breckin Meyer and Kevin Shinick, plus David Goodman (a Family Guy alum who worked on that show’s Star Wars parodies) and Simpsons alum Michael Price. There are also writers from The Venture Bros., Pinky and the Brain, Regular Show and Spongebob SquarePants involved, not to mention someone with a ton of geek TV cred – Jane Espenson, who’s written for everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Battlestar Galactica.

As for casting, Chuck’s Zachary Levi will voice “Biff Tarkin,” Grand Moff Tarkin’s son, while Breckin Myer and Donald Faison (the latter of whom also joined the panel) will play the two Stormtroopers seen in the trailer. Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Dee Bradley Baker will also voice characters on the series, including an old Clone Trooper who's none too happy with the modern Stormtroopers. Behind the scenes footage also revealed the voice cast includes Abraham Benrubi (ER), Cree Summers, Nat Faxon and two folks who got a lot of applause: Felicia Day and Weird Al Yankovic.

Regarding the presence of Jar Jar Binks on Star Wars: Detours, Green chuckled, "The places Jar Jar goes… will make you love Jar Jar." Added Hay, "Or at least you’ll hate him for new reasons!"

The final footage shown today was about as humorously out there as you can get. We were told how Donald Faison’s stormtrooper really wants to be a mattress salesman, as a clip was shown (written by Jane Espenson) in which that aforementioned Stormtrooper sings a parody of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” about mattresses.

Suffice to say, if the only Star Wars material you want to see is deadly serious, this show won’t be for you. But if you’ve enjoyed the Robot Chicken Star Wars parodies and take note of the impressive group of people creating this show, Star Wars: Detours looks to be a very funny and entertaining take on a very beloved universe.

There is no exact date (or network) revealed for Star Wars: Detours yet, but given how much near-complete footage we saw today, I'd say "sometime in 2013" is a safe bet.

Source : ign[dot]com

German Game Moorhuhn to be Made Into Movie

The hit German videogame Moorhuhn, known internationally as Crazy Chicken, is being made into a film.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the casual game is getting the movie treatment by brothers Douglas and Daniel Welbat, the former of whom co-produced The 7 Dwarves (2004). The pair have apparently received $55,000 (€45,000) to fund the development of a script, courtesy of Germany's federal film board.

Though now an extensive franchise spanning over 30 titles, Moorhuhn started life as an advertisement for John Walker whiskey. The first game in the series was a shoot 'em up which became one of Germany's most popular games in the early 2000s due to being widely pirated online.

Whilst previous ventures to expand the franchise into an animated TV series, comic book and comedy single have enjoyed moderate success, the last attempt to make a film out of the game bombed due to plot problems.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Aquaman Gets a Robot Chicken Variant Cover

With the Aquaman-centric Robot Chicken DC Comics Special set to air on September 9th, DC is offering a very amusing variant cover to the upcoming Aquaman #12. TV Guide broke the image:

"Aquaman will play a pretty big role in the show. In fact, the title could just as easily be How Aquaman Got His Groove Back!" said Aquaman scribe Geoff Johns of the special. "This is the last thing I ever thought we'd put on an Aquaman cover because it's such a bizarre collision of worlds but I think it's one of the best covers we've ever done...I just love the look on Superman's face!"

For more with Johns and the minds behind Robot Chicken, head over to TV Guide.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

Source : ign[dot]com

Breaking Bad: "Madrigal" Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

Awesome.

We open to a killer scene of some clearly distracted man eating chicken nuggets and trying different sauces in front of several—I don’t know—taste scientists; all of it in German.  The scientists seem to know what they’re talking about, at least.  It’s obtuse and sterile and kind of weird.  Turns out this is part of Madrigal.  Madrigal, if you remember the fake ad from a couple of seasons ago for Los Pollos Hermanos, is the distribution company for Fring’s enterprise.  Fring used the distribution company to ship out meth and oh, yes, OK, now I get why this guy seems so despondent, he must’ve known everything.

The man, who we later find out is Mr. Schuler, grabs a defibrillator while law enforcement bangs at the door and he shocks himself to death.  I didn’t know you could rig a defibrillator like that, and I’m a little shocked a corporate executive knew this, but it was damn cool (and a poetic way to go out—damned by his own tongue either way).

The entire scene was absolutely amazing, perfect in execution.  It’s its own little universe.  Even though the man doesn’t say a line, we know why he’s despondent, why law enforcement is there and why he kills himself.  These cold openings have rarely disappointed.

The direction in “Madrigal” was gorgeous, the opening scene being a microcosm for it.  The episode itself was a magic trick.  We were looking out the peep hole waiting for our answer to come through the door and it came in through the back.

“Madrigal” dropped into our main storyline with Walt and Jesse talking to Mike.  Mike started it certain he wasn’t going to join Walt and there was a good portion of the episode where it looked like Mike may actually not.  There was a gateway where the writers could have followed him around to watch the aftermath of Walt’s decisions and tie in Hank’s investigating with Walt’s elusion.  It could’ve worked.  Meanwhile, Jesse was sent to find [ingredient name - anyone in the comments catch exactly what it was?] so he and Walt could start cooking again.

So while we were watching Walt make orders and Jesse run around, Mike saw 12—err, nine good people lose all of their money.  And instead of repeatedly saying he’s doing it for his family, he’s just doing it.

There’s your juxtaposition—the long-awaited comparison between someone who’s actually doing it for his family (Mike) and someone who’s using his family as an excuse because he likes the power (Walt).

Mike: "Get rid of the magnets and maybe I'll come back."

Mike told everyone to stay calm, everyone's been prepared for a scenario like this, and Lydia, the woman at the restaurant -- who I thought was maybe an accountant -- turned around and tried to kill everyone that could connect her to Gus after the police shut down the international accounts.  Mike then nearly dispatched her, but not before getting the one thing that could possibly bring him back in — the [ingredient name].  Turns out she’s a supplier for the chemistry side.  Lo and behold, she has something Walt needs.  Lo and behold, Mike needs money and needs money for His Guys.  Mike is pretty awesome.

As an aside, how awesome was that scene between Mike and Hank?  Great scene.  And Mike being from Philly and a former police officer, being smart as heck, a seasoned pro, and an actual family man, it’s hard not to root for him.  I hope he doesn’t die.

“Madrigal” also tied up some loose ends that were, well, big questions from the end of last year.  Or rather, one question.  What happened to the cigarette?

Walt got the cigarette back from Saul last episode (who had Huell lift it off Jesse in last season’s finale) and Walt attempted to plant a stand in cigarette in Jesse’s house and search with him.  The scene opened with Walt dissecting the cigarette and taking out the poison and replacing it with salt—then hiding the real poison in his house behind an electrical plug in the wall — all while Jesse vented to Walt his anxiety over the phone.  So stylized.  So cool.  So lean and efficient.  When they found it — bringing back the roomba — Jesse broke down and cried because he nearly shot Walt.  It’s been a long year or two for Pinkman.

This is the scene that ties everything together.  Nobody, myself included, really thought about the emotional implications for Jesse, and it’s because we knew Walt manipulated Jesse.  He then did everything in his power to hide it — and wow was that a long way — and Jesse, who’s been misguided, is now filled with regret for pulling a gun on Walt and nearly killing him, even though it was the right decision.

Walt attempted to console Jesse, but it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t give a hoot.  Probably because he’s become a complete liar.

This whole thing says to me Breaking Bad is still at its peak.  It hid so well from us the meaning of that scene until it was nearly over because we, like Walt, were kind of lost in the details.  What happened to that cigarette?  What was Walt going to do with Jesse?  Was this going to be a loose end until Jesse found out the truth?  Et cetera.  And it played with our heart strings a bit.

I’ve seen shows that can play with heart strings without manipulating and I’ve seen ones that fooled me really well.  I’ve seen ones plan meticulously and I’ve seen shows deliver on punches while making the non-explosive parts just as interesting. I’ve never seen a show that put it all together as well as Breaking Bad; not The Wire, not Lost, not Arrested Development.  Every show, I’ve had questions for that could never be answered — except Breaking Bad.  Season 5 is perfectly in line with everything before it.

It’s good to be back.

Source : ign[dot]com