Uncharted Vita Dev Sony Bend Working on New Vita Title

If you liked Uncharted: Golden Abyss on PlayStation Vita, then you’re in luck. It appears that Sony Bend, the first party studio behind the game, is working on a new Vita offering.

Gamasutra has a job listing for a senior staff technical animator at Sony Bend (as Tweeted to us by IGN reader NKilburne), and the job description gives away that Bend is toiling away on a new Vita game.

“Bend Studio[,] the creators of Sony’s flagship Vita title Uncharted[:] Golden Abyss is currently looking for the entertainment industries [sic] top artistic talent to help us create AAA content for Sony’s powerful new hardware,” the listing reads. “We just scratched the surface on what the Vita can do with Uncharted[:] Golden Abyss and expect to push the platform even further with our future projects.”

Sony Bend was originally known as Eidetic, and was founded in 1994. In 2001, Sony purchased the studio outright, renamed it Sony Bend after the Oregon town the small developer is located in, and unleashed them to develop almost exclusively for handhelds from that time forward. Bend is best-known for its Syphon Filter series, though it also created the 2009 PSP shooter Resistance: Retribution before moving on to Golden Abyss.

Bend has been rumored to have been working on a new Syphon Filter game since 2009; the rumor most recently reared its head right before Vita’s western launch. However, the project has yet to materialize. Could this new Vita game be the much-anticipated return of the Syphon Filter franchise? Could it be a new Uncharted game? Or is it something else entirely?

We’ve reached out to Sony for comment and will update when we hear back. In the meantime, why not read our complete history of Sony Bend?

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

Peter Molyneux on the Future of Touch Control

Acclaimed game developer Peter Molyneux is hard at work with his new studio, 22 Cans, developing his next big game. While Molyneux is busy designing a series of interactive experiments, beginning with Curiosity, he has kept abreast of the developing game industry as it branches out to growing platforms like mobile, free-to-play, and social. He's had a chance to check out the Nintendo Wii U, as well as Microsoft's SmartGlass.

Thus far, he has reservations about tablet gaming.

Molyneux talks about the challenges that developers face when trying to create true multi-screen gaming experiences.

IGN: What do you think of the multi-screen experience that’s evolving with tablets and with the new Nintendo Wii U and Microsoft SmartGlass?

Peter Molyneux: The thing about the SmartGlass is that the tablet is a thing that you have with you all the time. Now, in that sense, I understand completely as a consumer and I’m excited to see what these guys do with it. But I do have a problem with it. I now have a screen in front of me on my lap and a screen up on the wall that I’m looking at. Which one should I be looking at? Should I be looking up at the big screen and down, or at my lap and up? Should I be checking down on my lap every few seconds?  What’s going to incentivize me to move my eyes from the wall to my lap?

In a way, part of me is excited by this. But part of me is worried that this is a bit of tech which us tech boys get really excited about, and until I see some really great uses of that SmartGlass or the Wii U GamePad, the jury is out for me to be honest with you. I can see it if I’m watching a football game that the scores would come up on the SmartGlass. I’m all there for that. I can see if I’m watching a TV episode and it gives me some background on the actors. I’m kind of there, but I can do that on the internet already. The real use for me is how it’s used as part of the entertainment experience, and then that divided attention that you’re demanding of a player is going to be really challenging to balance well.

IGN: Do you think also it could be a generational thing in the sense that you and I are both older, but there’s a younger generation that does currently watch TV and play on a tablet or a smartphone or a PC all at the same time?

Peter Molyneux: That’s a very interesting point, but I think what people do when they have multiple screens is something very simple. They will listen to the big screen whilst distracting themselves on the small screen. That’s not what SmartGlass and Wii U are talking about.

They’re talking about producing an entertainment experience that you’re engrossed in. So you’re not typing an email while watching TV. You’re playing a game while watching TV on the GamePad and that’s where my problem comes in. I know I need it when I’m watching a football game. I need SmartGlass to do my emails or check Twitter or distract myself, especially when the things are at a low point in the plot. But that’s not what SmartGlass or the Wii U are about.

It’s about giving you a second screen into the same experience, and that’s where I’m a little bit challenged. I agree that the younger generation has the ability to switch very fast between different things, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about them being in the same experience. I just think it’s like a lot of tech out there at the moment. There’s a huge amount of tech out there at the moment, including the cloud -- and the cloud has been around for some time -- and it’s not until we get the great applications that actually use that hardware and delight us with those experiences, that we’ve really appreciated its value.

IGN: What are your thoughts on what Nintendo is doing with the Wii U overall?

Peter Molyneux: I struggle to see anything amazing coming out of Nintendo. There are a few, “Oh, that’s smart,” but there’s nothing that makes me rush out as a consumer to buy the new device. I’ll give you a great example of how tech should be used.  It’s what Nintendo did with the Wii when it first came out. They introduced motion control.  They were one of the first companies to introduce motion control and they had a fantastic Wii Sports Game. As soon as I picked up the controller and started waving it around, I got it. I already understood it. But I’m not sure there’s a same sort of application out there for Wii U. I think to myself, “Well, what’s the reason to get it?”  Do you see what I mean?

IGN: I do. I’ve tried out a lot of the launch games and outside of the Nintendo games like NintendoLand and Ubisoft’s Rayman Legends and ZombiU, there’s not a lot of innovations. And I did find it challenging, even while standing at the kiosk, focusing on both screens.

Peter Molyneux: There you go. I had exactly the same experience. I played those games and I thought, “That’s cute.” But the psychology of making a game is hard enough because plasma screens are so big now. It’s hard enough to get the player to move their eyes from the center of the screen to the borders.

“

It’s hard enough to get the player to move their eyes from the center of the screen to the borders.

When you’re designing a game for a plasma screen you’ve got to really flash the corners of the screen. You’ve got to get movement in, otherwise people don’t notice anything in the corners. Getting people to move their eyes from the screen down to their laps is incredibly hard. There has to be some huge motivational thing like the words coming up, “Look at your GamePad now.” If you’re going to do that, from a design perspective that sounds a bit clumsy and complex.

IGN: As we look at the upcoming launches of three new consoles, what role do you see them playing in this evolving gaming ecosystem?

Peter Molyneux: Consoles have a very tough time ahead of them. The main issue is that existing console manufacturers are so embedded into the standard retail model in that they spend two years developing a game and then they push it out to retail stores and they’re done. They get a huge amount of money and then they move on to the next sequel that takes another two years. That world is gone forever.

Retail is still an important part of the console business, but a lot of consumers are starting to move to things like the iPad and to digital distribution. People don’t want to go down to a store and buy something that they can buy online just like they don’t want to go down to the store and buy music anymore. The console manufacturers have these two big problems. Their existing business model of development and investing in multiple million dollar development projects and then launching and having this marketing shock and awe campaign. Plus the fact that the technology that’s out there in every consumer’s hands through tablets and phones is now more accessible than ever, and their consoles are stuck in the basement or they’re stuck in the living room. That’s hugely challenging for them.

When you look at the number of units that Apple and Android and Motorola are able to make, the power of tablets and phones are going to exceed the power of consoles very soon now. That’s a problem for console manufacturers because if they’re lucky, over five years they’re going to sell 40 or 50 million devices. And if they’re very, very lucky they’ll eventually -- over a lifetime of consoles -- maybe sell 100 million. That is a drop in the ocean when you compare it to the number of smartphones that are in the market today, and then a tiny drop in the ocean when you compare the number of smartphones that are predicted in the market in the next few years. Just the scaling cost of producing hardware or the penetration of it means that they’ve got a real pricing issue.

“

We gamers love our games.

On the plus side, they have a very loyal following. We gamers love our games. We love setting up our gaming locations. We love going into them and inviting our friends.  So they have some loyal fans, but they used to be on the cutting edge of innovation. And they just feel like they’ve fallen back a step now and the people at Apple and Android have taken the crown of innovation from them.

John Gaudiosi is a freelance writer that, among other things, travels the world.

Source : ign[dot]com

Peanuts Movie to Open Against Marvel's Ant-Man

Good grief, Charlie Brown! Your studio has decided to open your new movie against a Marvel film.

20th Century Fox has rescheduled its untitled new Peanuts movie from a November 25, 2015 release to November 6, 2015 debut ... which puts it head-to-head at the box office with director Edgar Wright's Ant-Man.

Peanuts takes over the slot originally slated for a different Fox release, B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, which has been shifted to September 25, 2015 instead.

Source : ign[dot]com

JLA Movie to Face Off Against Avengers 2?

Now that Warner Bros. has won a decisive court battle involving the rights to Superman, the studio can speed up development on its Justice League movie.

Warner Bros. Wins Big in Superman Copyright Battle

The Man of Steel is, of course, a key member of that superhero team, along with players in spandex like Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and others. According to The LA Times, the studio is expected to "accelerate" development on the JLA project, which will include finding a director and cast. The hope is to shoot next year for a summer, 2015, release. That would put the film squarely against The Avengers 2, don't cha know?

Watch the above video to see Dark Knight co-writer David Goyer discuss bringing Superman's origin story to Man of Steel.

Had Warners lost its legal battle against the family of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster, the use of the character in Justice League or elsewhere would've been restricted after 2013. (And in fact, aspects of that court struggle continue to rage on, though it would seem yesterday's verdict was the start of the litigation saga's endgame.)

"That uncertainty made it difficult for Warner[s] to move ahead with Justice League, which the studio's motion pictures group president, Jeff Robinov, has long wanted to make as a pillar of its big-screen superhero strategy," says The Times. Additionally, the decision reached yesterday allows Warner Bros. to make sequels to Man of Steel (though it remains unclear if that version of Superman will be the one we see in Justice League or not).

So the plan now is to spin-off other heroes into their own movies after Justice League, in a sort of reverse-Marvel methodology. Hey, that works for me.

Talk to Movies Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN, on IGN at scottcollura and on Facebook.

Source : ign[dot]com

Deadly Premonition Coming to PlayStation 3

Deadly Premonition, the Xbox 360-exclusive budget horror game, is now coming to PlayStation 3. Developed by Japanese studio Access Games, Deadly Premonition was terrible -- we gave it a 2.0 -- but there’s no denying that it has a niche of hardcore fans that swear by it.

The PlayStation 3 version of the game, will come packing an “updated control system,” as well as a “brand new scenario from the game’s director” and “DLC to keep the game going once you complete the main campaign.”

There’s no release date or other information available for Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut as of yet (though we've been told it'll be out early in 2013), but we’ll keep you updated when we hear more.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter (@notaxation) and IGN (Moriarty-IGN) and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray Trailer

Following New York Comic Con this past weekend, where Warner Bros. screened the Batmobile Documentary, the studio has unveiled an official trailer for the upcoming, and much-anticipated, Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray.

The sizzle reel reveals a few of the disc's bonus features including the aforementioned Batmobile documentary, as well as the film's innovative Second Screen app. Check it out:

The Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray combo pack SRP is set at $35.99, and $39.99 for the Limited Edition Bat Cowl set. The DVD SRP is $28.98. Amazon's current pre-order price is $24.99 for the Blu-ray combo pack, $35.99 for the Bat Cowl Limited Editionset, and $17.99 for the DVD.

Stay tuned for more news, and look for a review of The Dark Knight Rises on Blu-ray in December!

Holy Social Networks, readers! Now you can follow R.L. Shaffer on Twitter, Facebook or IGN for quotes, rants, reviews, news and more!

Source : ign[dot]com

Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World Set for 3D Releases

Disney and Marvel updated their release slate today, announcing that both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World will be released in 3D.

Interestingly, the studio announcement did not say that the other Marvel Phase 2 movies -- Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant-Man -- would be in 3D.

Source : ign[dot]com

Ex-Bulletstorm Devs' New Studio Licenses Unreal Engine

Former People Can Fly founders Adrian Chmielarz, Andrzej Poznanski and Michal Kosieradzki have formed a new indie studio called The Astronauts. The ex-Bulletstorm developers licensed Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for its first unannounced game, which is set for release sometime in 2013. There's no word yet which platforms the team is developing for.

Chmielarz called the decision to use Unreal a "no-brainer" given the team's six-year history working with the engine, and says "we are on a quest to map uncharted waters, and Epic’s tech provides the stability required for success."

Chmielarz, Pozanski, and Kosieradzki left People Can Fly around the time Epic acquired the studio in August.

It's also interesting that The Astronauts have not licensed the use of Epic's Unreal Engine 4, which powers Fortnite. The possibilities for what the game could be range from high-end PCs, consoles, all the way to mobile, as UE3 is what powers the Infinity Blade series.

What would you like to see from this new independent team?

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Ex-Bulletstorm Devs' New Studio Licenses Unreal Engine

Former People Can Fly founders Adrian Chmielarz, Andrzej Poznanski and Michal Kosieradzki have formed a new indie studio called The Astronauts. The ex-Bulletstorm developers licensed Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for its first unannounced game, which is set for release sometime in 2013. There's no word yet which platforms the team is developing for.

Chmielarz called the decision to use Unreal a "no-brainer" given the team's six-year history working with the engine, and says "we are on a quest to map uncharted waters, and Epic’s tech provides the stability required for success."

Chmielarz, Pozanski, and Kosieradzki left People Can Fly around the time Epic acquired the studio in August.

It's also interesting that The Astronauts have not licensed the use of Epic's Unreal Engine 4, which powers Fortnite. The possibilities for what the game could be range from high-end PCs, consoles, all the way to mobile, as UE3 is what powers the Infinity Blade series.

What would you like to see from this new independent team?

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Ubisoft Opens New Performance Capture Studio

Ubisoft has opened a new “world-class performance capture studio” in Toronto that will work on future projects, including Splinter Cell: Blacklist. The facility is state-of-the-art and aims to “create deeper characters, more immersive storytelling and more filmic, actor-driven games” through voice, facial and body performance capture. All actors will be captured at the same time, allowing performances to feel more like film.

The studio includes a 2,000 square foot performance space to allow multiple actors to perform at once, as well as 80 high-resolution Vicon T160 motion capture cameras. The facility will also use wireless helmet cameras for accurate facial capture, with footage synched in real time to voice and body capture. A sound stage and rigging beams that allow for stunt performances are also available to capture “dynamic, physical scenes for games.”

“We are extremely proud to unveil a performance capture studio in Toronto after just two years of operation in the city,” said Ubisoft Toronto and Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat. “This is about more than just the creation of a cutting-edge facility. It’s about Ubisoft transforming our approach to storytelling with a focus on acting talent and the delivery of the highest-quality performance output for our cinematics and animation teams. The studio also is a testament to our confidence in the talent in Ontario to deliver some of the best performance capture in the industry for games.”

In addition to Blacklist, the studio will contribute to capture for future Ubisoft projects from all 26 of its worldwide studios. Ubisoft Toronto will also partner with Screen Industries and Research Training Center of Sheridan College “to identify, define and pursue research projects in the field of virtual production to reach new levels of excellence.”

Ubisoft originally announced plans to expand to Toronto in July 2009. Original Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond was later chosen to head the studio. Raymond said in 2010 that Toronto was working on a Splinter Cell game (later revealed to be Blacklist) in addition to an unannounced title.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist was announced at E3 and blends the fast-paced style of 2010’s Splinter Cell Conviction with classic Splinter Cell gameplay, including the return of Spies vs. Mercs. For more, read our impressions from E3.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

New Wreck-It Ralph Poster

Check out the latest one-sheet for the upcoming Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, the studio's tribute to video games old and new.

The voice cast includes John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch and Jack McBrayer. Check out the new trailer below:

Source : ign[dot]com

Adele to Sing the Skyfall Bond Theme

It's looking increasingly like Adele has been selected to record the Bond theme for the upcoming 23rd film, Skyfall, after it was revealed that she's been visiting the studio where the soundtrack is being recorded.

According to The Sun, the Grammy-winning singer visited the legendary Abbey Road studios earlier this month to record with Thomas Newman; the man given the hefty responsibility for the Bond soundtrack by director Sam Mendes.

Adele hinted on the Jonathan Ross show late last year that she’d been asked to record the song, and apparently began preliminary sessions with producer Paul Epworth shortly after.

The 23rd Bond film, Skyfall, will see an operation in Istanbul go awry, leaving James Bond missing and presumed dead. Daniel Craig returns to play the titular character, while it recently became clear that he has signed on for at least another two movies.

With Skyfall due to release in the UK on October 26 and in the US shortly after, it hopefully won't be too long before we hear what's essentially the first new music from Adele since her obscenely successful album, 21.

To see Adele slip up on Jonathan Ross by admitting she's been asked to record a theme, skip to the six-minute mark below.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant, and would make an awful James Bond. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Daniel Craig to Play James Bond "At Least Five Times"

Daniel Craig will play James Bond “at least five times,” and if studio executives have their way, he will be the longest-serving actor in the role.

Roger Moore currently holds the record, having played 007 seven times in official Bond flicks.

MI6 broke the news when announcing that Sony Pictures has reached a new co-financing deal with MGM to continue making Bond movies.

The studio apparently hopes to start making Bond flicks on a two-year cycle, meaning that Bond 24 could hit in 2014.

The next Bond film – Skyfall – hits UK screens on October 26 before reaching the rest of the world in November.

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and is hoping to replace Craig as Bond. His idle chit-chat can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

First Look at Chris Pine's Jack Ryan

Paramount has released the first two photos from Jack Ryan, the studio's reboot of the Tom Clancy CIA hero that just began filming in Manhattan under the direction of Thor's Kenneth Branagh. Chris Pine plays the title character and Kevin Costner plays his field agent mentor.

Jack Ryan opens Christmas Day 2013.

Source : ign[dot]com

Psychonauts Coming to PlayStation Network

Double Fine Productions has quite the following these days, what with cult hits like Brutal Legend, Costume Quest and Stacking. But the studio’s very first game – Psychonauts – holds a special place in the hearts of gamers.

So PlayStation gamers in particular will be excited to know that Psychonauts is set for release on the PlayStation Network as a PS2 Classic. Launched on Xbox and PlayStation 2 in 2005, Psychonauts will come to PSN in North America on August 28th. There’s no word yet on its release date in other territories, and no price for the game has been confirmed, though all other PS2 Classics cost $9.99.

Excited? Good! While you wait for August 28th to roll around, why not check out our original review of the game?

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Rocketeer Gets a Reboot

Disney is gearing up to reboot The Rocketeer, their 1991 comic-book adaptation about a man, a jetpack and… Jennifer Connelly.

Vulture reports that the studio will be meeting with writers soon to hear pitches on the property, which interestingly would be a Disney superhero movie that doesn't take place within the Marvel universe, even though Marvel is owned by Disney. (Or would it?)

The original film was based on the Dave Stevens character and starred Billy Campbell as a 1930s stunt pilot who acquires a Howard Hughes-designed (!) rocket pack and soon finds himself mixing it up with gangsters and Nazis. The film didn't fare very well at the box office, alas, but it is a favorite for many of us comics fans.

While we wait for more news on the reboot, why not check out the great animated homage below to the character and his late creator?

Talk to Movies Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN, on IGN and on Facebook.

Source : ign[dot]com

Why James Gunn Should Direct Great Guardians of the Galaxy

With every insider source, industry bigwig and nerdy blog suggesting that James Gunn is in the lasergun-blasting sights to direct Marvel Studio's next mega-movie franchise 'Guardians of the Galaxy', it's a fair presumption that many of you are questioning who he even is.

Ignore the erroneous and credibility-evaporating double whammy on his cinematic CV though (Scooby-Doo and - zoinks! - Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed), and there are more than enough reasons to start getting excited.

Remember - Kenneth Branagh, Jon Favreau and even Joss Whedon were controversial choices when they were picked. And look how nerdgasmically well they turned out.

For a film that could well prove the edgiest, weirdest and most fun Marvel movie adventure yet, we can't think of anyone better…..

Fanboys Understand Fanboys

The Guardians of the Galaxy have faced Blackbolt, the Phalanx, Blastaar and even Thanos (the purple scrotum-chinned one from The Avengers post-credits cameo), but their biggest challenge will be winning over the popcorn-munching masses.

So rather than spend time focusing on broadening their appeal, choosing a fanboy who's edged into the mainstream to lead the charge could cover all the bases.

Slither and Dawn of the Dead (which he directed and wrote respectively) tick both 'black comedy' and 'fantastical horror' boxes, Tromeo and Juliet and Lollipop Chainsaw show he knows a thing or two about subject matter that's weirdly, wonderfully nuts, and The Specials and Super prove his affection for (and ability to subtly mock) the superhero/comic genre.

Add to that the fact that he's long-time friends with Marvel uber-mascot Joss Whedon (one of Gunn's first ever jobs was co-writing a TV pilot for Whedon), and a long running, personal love affair with comic books, and it's fair to say that he's one of the few directors working today who can truly 'get' a tale involving psychic pooches, monosyllabic talking trees, killer anthropomorphic raccoons, and space-spanning tales of life, death and everything in between.

He'll Assemble the Right Cast

With The Avengers now sitting proudly above every Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean as the third biggest movie ever made, Marvel's in the position to choose a cast of their dreams.

But the Guardians of the Galaxy have never been a team comprised of flashy A-Listers - their inherent appeal comes from the fact that while they may have universe-imploding powers, even a fraction of the die-hardiest comics fans could name them all without a quick flick through their Marvel Encyclopedia.

Seeing a Jolie/Pitt/Depp amidst the line-up would not only be distracting, it'd miss the whole point of the team (though we wouldn't mind seeing any of these picks in the Rocket Raccoon role).

Thankfully, Gunn has experience assembling indie stars with just the level of star power to entertain the fanboys and dazzle the newbies. From Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon, and Rainn Wilson in Super, to Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Fillion in Slither, Gunn's proven he knows how to straddle that line.

And while we know Nathan Fillion gets his name thrown into the fanboy hat at every new movie announcement (*internal monologue override* - BECAUSE HE'S AWESOME), we genuinely can't think of anyone better for Star-Lord - the sarcastic, witty and eternally out-of-his-depth everyman who's the heart of the team.

Throw in prior form with Gunn in Slither and Super, and the aforementioned relationship with Fillion-manwife Joss Whedon, and this is one time where we're actively hoping for a bit of nerdy nepotism.

He Has Prior With Genre Smorgasbords

Not since the Rom-Zom-Com has a movie so potentially screwed with Netflix's admin department. Part sci-fi, part space-opera, part-drama, part-horror and part-comedy, the latest Guardians of the Galaxy comic incarnation is a masterclass in deftly balanced storytelling - and the film looks to be following suit.

The concept art shows a version of the modern intergalactic gang ready to rock, and one guaranteed to hit some kaleidoscopic story beats. There's Drax the Destroyer (a very serious and ruthlessly vicious warrior), Groot (an  inadvertently comedic tree giant), Gamora ('as deadly as she is sexy' alien killer), Rocket Raccoon (Han Solo meets an Ewok by way of an enormous spacegun), and Star-Lord (a heroic albeit flawed, superpower-imbued human).

Not only will the right director have to juggle all those wildly differing personality types and group dynamics, but they'll have to introduce Marvel's entire galactic universe, along with a whole cast of practically unknown characters - and keep it relatable to audiences throughout.

Gunn seems perfect, having played with hyper-violence, black comedy and satirical superheroing in Super, and out-of-this-world ridiculousness and surprisingly affecting character drama in Slither and Dawn of the Dead.

He'll Take (Batsh*t-crazy) Risks

Whether you're a fan of his work or not, it's hard to deny Gunn is one to put his balls on the line in the name of a creative punt.

While many loved Super for its mad-as-a-bag-of-cats protagonist, and po-faced poke at Hollywood's genre darling, there were just as many who weren't too keen on a superhero flick boasting a mentally ill hero who brains perps into comas with a pipe wrench, or a sexually deranged sidekick who rapes her costumed mentor.

It's also a brave (some would say insane) man who steps up to remake one of the most beloved, iconic horror movies of all time, and while 2004's Dawn of the Dead wasn't perfect, it was far, far better than any could have expected.

And Lollipop Chainsaw? We can't see Shigeru Miyamoto following up his 252nd Mario with a game about a zombie-murdering, chainsaw-wielding, erotically suggestive cheerleader anytime soon.

While the quality and success of his work has been variable, there's been one constant - an unfailing drive to embrace nutso, creative risks in their gloriously deranged entirety.

And when you're talking about one of Marvel's most surreal teams ever, you need someone who's as uncompromising as they are a little crazy.

Source : ign[dot]com

There's Still Hope for The Dark Tower

The future is not bright for the highly ambitious movie and TV adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower as Warner Bros. is now the second studio to pass on the epic.

Variety reports that Warners has opted not to move forward with The Dark Tower, making it the second studio after Universal to pass on the film/TV saga. Oscar winner Ron Howard was set to direct and produce via his Imagine Entertainment banner with Akiva Goldsman scripting. Russell Crowe had been circling the role of gunslinger Roland Deschain after Javier Bardem bowed out.

As the trade points out, "Imagine is still able to take the project back out to other studios, but this latest news is a blow to the film’s future — when Universal first let go of the film, most insiders around town believed WB was its best chance of getting made."

UPDATE: Good news! Deadline reports that Media Rights Capital, the company behind Seth MacFarlane's Ted and Neill Blomkamp's Elysium, is now in serious talks with Imagine Entertainment to finance The Dark Tower. "MRC has a distribution arrangement with Universal, but it’s unclear whether that studio would release the film," the site points out.

Source : ign[dot]com

Epic Gives Ex-Kingdom of Amalur Devs a New Home

Epic has formed a new studio comprising many of the developers who worked on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning at Big Huge Games, before its parent company 38 Studios filed for bankruptcy.

The new venture is called Impossible Studios, and will be based in Maryland. Sean Dunn will head the studio, overseeing its very first project: Infinity Blade: Dungeons, an action RPG for iOS made in collaboration with Epic and Chair Entertainment (the team behind the previous Infinity Blade titles).

Studio Logo

Dunn said, "Epic Games has truly embraced this stellar collection of developers who were displaced by the closing of Big Huge Games. They have looked after us with complete care, giving us all the tools and resources we need to make a lot of gamers happy." Meanwhile,  the president of Epic Games Mike Capps said, "We were so glad we could help keep this great team together, and we're lucky to have them."

"At the time, I said that finding a full team of superstars was 'impossible' and apparently the name stuck! Pairing the imagination and experience of Impossible with Epic's technology, IP and resources makes for a business greater than the sum of its parts."

Are you excited to see what the Amalur dev team does next? Let us know in the comments below.

Daniel is IGN's UK Games Writer. He hopes to live long and prosper. You can follow him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Pele Movie in the Works

With the World Cup hitting Brazil in 2014, Imagine Entertainment has plans to shoot a film about the most famous footballer of them all: Pele.

According to Variety, the studio has asked brothers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist to write the script, with a view to directing. The pair have previously worked on the documentary likes of Favela Rising and The Two Escobars.

The story will concentrate on Pele’s remarkable early years, with Imagine President of Production Kim Roth describing it as “A coming-of-age story that will trace Pele’s childhood until he won his first World Cup in Sweden at the age of 17.”

Language will be English with some Portuguese; the film shooting next year with a view to releasing before the summer 2014 tournament.

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and thinks that Pele is the second greatest footballer of all-time, coming just behind Crystal Palace's midfield dynamo of the mid-1990s, David Hopkin. His football Tweets can be found on both Twitter and MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com