An upcoming art book could point to the release date of Hogwarts Legacy.
“The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy” is set to be published by Insight Editions on September 6, 2022.
As spotted by The Rowling Library, the book is authored by Jody Revenson, who has previously written “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Movie Magic” and “Harry Potter Paper Craft”.
September 1 is the date in the Harry Potter books that students return to Hogwarts, making a September release fitting.
Due to be published by Warner Bros. under its Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Legacy was originally scheduled to be released in 2021 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.
The possibility of a further delay to 2023 was raised by journalist Colin Moriarty during a recent podcast, in which he claimed: “I’m hearing behind the scenes that game is not coming out this year, and that it’s in some sort of trouble.”
However, an official update on Wizarding World Digital stated that “the Hogwarts Legacy video game will be arriving this year”.
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It reads: “2022 is also the year when the highly anticipated console game from Warner Bros. Games’ Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Legacy, is set to be released.
“Developed by Avalanche Software, this action RPG allows players to be at the centre of their own adventure set during the late 1800s wizarding world.
“From learning powerful spells and brewing potions to honing combat skills and taming magical beasts, this game will allow players to experience the magical world as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like never before as they determine the fate of the entire wizarding world.”
A sequel to last year’s Mortal Kombat movie is in the works at New Line Cinema.
The Warner Bros.-owned film studio has hired Fantastic 4 and Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater to pen the Mortal Kombat 2 script, Deadline reports.
Last year’s Mortal Kombat film was helmed by Simon McQuoid, making his feature directorial debut, and produced by James Wan (Aquaman), Todd Garner (Into the Storm), E. Bennett Walsh (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and McQuoid.
It released in April and helped drive what was then the US box office’s biggest weekend since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its worldwide box office gross stands at almost $84 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
The movie launched simultaneously in cinemas and on HBO Max and is reportedly one of the streaming service’s top feature titles to date.
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While it was poorly received by critics, the original Mortal Kombat movie grossed over $120 million worldwide following its release in 1995. Its sequel, 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, grossed $50 million.
The Mortal Kombat video game franchise launched in 1992 and had sold 73 million units as of July 2021, according to Warner, including 12 million copies of the latest series entry, 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11.
Actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson recently teased plans to bring “one of the biggest, most badass games” to cinema screens, with an announcement planned for later this year.
Confession time: I am a big Harry Potterfan. I loved the books and movies growing up, and the story became an inextricable and joyful part of my childhood experience. With that in mind, unsurprisingly, I also adored Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, a heartfelt and nostalgic special that HBO Max released on New Year’s Day.
That being said, however, the special reminded me that I’ve got a bit of a bone to pick with the beloved franchise because, well… I’m a Hufflepuff (please, refrain from gasping or booing). I took a 112-question Sorting Hat quiz years ago and was so distraught upon being dubbed Hufflepuff, I took it all over again, only to once again be stuck with that garish yellow House.
For those of you who have forgotten or have no idea what a Hufflepuff even really is, here’s a brief rundown of House history. Hogwarts is divided into four Houses: Gryffindors (the brave ones with a lion mascot), Ravenclaws (the smart ones with an eagle mascot), Slytherins (the ambitious ones with a snake mascot), and Hufflepuff. We’re nice. That’s our Thing. That’s it. Everything else is downhill. Case in point: our House color is a very difficult to pull off bright shade of yellow, our mascot is a badger, and our House founder’s first name was frickin’ “Helga.” We can’t catch a break.
Photo: Everett Collection
Since I discovered my house in distressing fashion all those years ago, I’ve come to terms with and have even become proud of my ‘Puff status, but the Harry Potterreunion definitely did poke at some old wounds. If you’re wondering what the big deal is or what the heck I’m talking about, A) you clearly aren’t a Hufflepuff, and B) allow me to break it down for ya. A quick quiz for you: Name three Hufflepuffs.
Could you do it? While there are several ‘Puffs listed in the books, the most notable ones in the books and films end up being Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena) and Professor Pomona Sprout (Miriam Margolyes). And if those names don’t ring a bell, here’s a refresher:
Cedric was clearly cool as hell from the get-go when he was introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Finally, Hufflepuff gets a rad hero of our own! He’s going to be important! Oh, what’s that, he’s dying that very same movie? He’s basically cannon fodder so Harry can see a friend die and grow stronger from it? Crap.
Tonks was a delightful figure who joined the party one book and movie later, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She’s a Metamorphmagus who can change her physical appearance at will. She’s also known as the wife of Professor Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), and similarly, doesn’t make it out of the franchise alive, dying in the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Professor Sprout is there throughout the franchise and survives to the end, but all she does is teach kids about plants, which, sadly, isn’t as thrilling as say, being an escaped (wrongfully convicted) criminal like Gryffindor Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) or even one-time Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Ravenclaw Professor Quirinus Quirrell (Ian Hart), who only appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone but at least made a lasting mark by being the guy who had Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) face on the back of his head.
Warner Bros.
Were any of these Hufflepuffs there at the reunion, sharing their memories and hanging with old co-stars? No, of course not. Every House had someone there representing them except for us (despite the fact that Robert Pattinson is the biggest star to emerge from the Harry Potter franchise BY A LONG SHOT). I think people sometimes misremember Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) as a Hufflepuff because she’s quirky, but alas, she is but a wise and misunderstood Ravenclaw. And look at this promo picture for the special. Not a Hufflepuff in sight:
Photo: HBO Max
Hufflepuffs come out of Harry Potterlooking even lamer than Slytherin, who produced basically every single bully and bad guy in the series. At least they got to DO something. And even Slytherins, who live in a dungeon and have their fair share of unsavory characters, are like “ew, Hufflepuff.” Why is this our lot in life, J.K. Rowling? Merlin? Morgan le Fay? WHO CAN ANSWER ME?! No one? Fine, I’ll do this myself.
Here are just a few small and easy edits I have to suggest to the Harry Potterbooks and movies so that Hufflepuff can have a bit more presence and impact throughout the franchise:
Make Voldemort a Hufflepuff: I mean, who would have seen this coming? No one suspects a ‘Puff of anything, so how epic would it be if the darkest wizard of all-time turned evil solely because he was bitter to be sorted into Hufflepuff and wanted to make the wizarding world pay? Instead of a snake, Voldemort talks to badgers and commands an army of them to do his bidding. Who cares if it makes no sense narratively, at least it’d be a fun twist.
Let Hufflepuff win the House Cup or Inter-House Quidditch: I’m not greedy. One measly victory would have been fine! Is our House not good at anything except eating and smiling and dying?! What gives?!
Warner Bros.
Give us a cooler ghost: Gryffindor gets the awesome Nearly Headless Nick (played by John frickin’ Cleese!), Slytherin gets the spooky Bloody Baron, Ravenclaw gets the lovely and tragic Grey Lady, and Hufflepuff gets… the Fat Friar. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! At this point, it feels personal. Give US John Cleese, instead, most comedians are probably Hufflepuffs anyway. Or at least make it the Hot Friar or Charming Friar, we’re not asking for much, here.
Let. Cedric. LIVE!!! It might’ve even been enough to save Robert Pattinson from doing Twilight. We’d be living in a very different world right now if that were the case, but I guess we’ll never know, huh.
Photo: Everett Collection
As you can see, from the beginning, Hufflepuffs have been cursed and looked down upon. Maybe one day there’ll be a sequel series, where it’s the ‘Puffs who rise up and take on the rest of the wizarding world for treating them like a joke. Or maybe they just band together and form a magical improv troupe (which would honestly be as frightening as any Death Eater or Dementor). At the very least, let’s hope for more Hufflepuff representation at the next reunion!
The International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) revealed the estimated loss incurred by Top Glove Corporation Bhd during the period of the “Withhold Release Order” (WRO) imposed by the United States’ Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was RM3.6 billion.
In a written reply in Parliament today, MITI said the information was obtained from the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers’ Association (MARGMA).
In the first phase of the assembly election held on February 10 in UP, 58 constituencies had gone to the polls. In 2017, the BJP had won 53 of these seats while the RSS projection, based on IB input, is this time the party will win 17 seats. In the second phase of elections, held on February 14, at least 55 constituencies had gone to the polls. The BJP had won 38 of these seats in 2017 and this time the Sangh projection is it will not be able to retain half of the seats.
The Bhagwat’s meeting has come as a shocker as the Sangh leaders in UP were expecting a fall in the number of seats but never believed that the party will hit the rock bottom.
“The Hijab controversy united Muslims and they came out in large number to cast their votes, particularly in the second phase of the election. The Hindus on the other hand remained silent and probably due to this, the party is facing a whitewash in the first two phases of the election,” a Sangh functionary said.
An MMO based on the Harry Potter series was in production at Electronic Arts but was cancelled due to the publisher doubting the longevity of the franchise, it has been claimed.
Kim Salzer, who served as EA’s director of product marketing from 2000-2003, at a time when the publisher held the rights to make Harry Potter games, made the revelation during a Twitch interview with streamer The Real Brandolorian.
When asked about a game that she was involved in that she was excited about but that ultimately never saw the light of day, she mentioned the Harry Potter MMO.
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“A big one for me, because I was so personally involved in it, and it’s such a huge IP that has lived on is an online massively multiplayer game for Harry Potter,” Salzer said.
“We did all the research, we had the beta built out, it was a combination offline/online experience where we’d actually mail stuff to the kids, like prizes and ribbons and stuff like that.
“Thoroughly researched, very confident in the success of this. But it was killed, for lack of a better term, because EA was going through changes at that time and they just didn’t know or believe enough that that IP would have a shelf-life longer than a year or two.”
In a statement published on social media at the time, the publisher thanked fans for their “tremendous reaction” to the game’s announcement the previous year and confirmed the new release window.
“Creating the best possible experience for all of the Wizarding World and gaming fans is paramount to us so we are giving the game the time it needs,” its statement read.
Rachel Wakely, Warner Bros. general manager, spoke to Toy World magazine about the Wizarding World IP, in which she referred to “two major releases in 2022”. The first is the upcoming film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbeldore, she said, which releases in the UK on April 8. The second is Hogwarts Legacy.
“From what we’ve seen, the launch will be well worth the wait and deliver a unique way for fans to interact with the franchise”, she said.
Apple will fund and distribute a long-in-the-works movie about embattled Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Bad Blood will star Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes, while Adam McKay will write and direct. Both are producers on the project, which is a coproduction between Apple Studios and Legendary.
The movie, which is based on the book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Start Up by former Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou, has been in development since at least 2016, as Deadline notes. The film will depict the rise and fall of Holmes and her company.
Hype around the blood-testing startup led to Holmes becoming the youngest self-made billionaire. Accusations and charges of fraud led to her stepping down as CEO in 2018 and the company liquidating later that year. Holmes is currently on trial for fraud.
Bad Blood is far from the only film and TV project about Theranos and Holmes. Hulu greenlit a miniseries in 2019 with Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon pencilled in to play Holmes. She dropped out earlier this year, and was replaced by Amanda Seyfried. An HBO documentary about the Theranos saga premiered in 2019.
Meanwhile, Lawrence and McKay recently worked together on the Netflix film Don’t Look Up, which hits theaters this weekend and will be available to stream on December 24th. It’s a satire about two astronomers (played by Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio) who try to warn humanity about a catastrophic comet that’s set to collide with Earth.
Actor Tom Holland has described the stunts he filmed for the Uncharted movie as the biggest and toughest of his career.
The actor best known for playing Spider-Man stars as young treasure hunter Nathan Drake in the upcoming Uncharted film.
In a new behind the scenes video which you can watch below, Holland discussed filming the ‘Plane Fight’ scene, which is a set-piece inspired by Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception’s Stowaway chapter.
Sony recently released two and a half minutes of Uncharted footage showing off the Plane Fight scene, which sees Drake attempting to stop himself being ejected from a cargo plane’s ramp door and engaging in mid-air combat.
“In Uncharted, I was shooting stunts that are far bigger than anything I’ve done before,” Holland said. “The sequence where we’re flying out the back of the plane on the boxes, we must have shot that for five weeks, almost every day.
“At times I’d be like 100 foot in the air, attached to a box that’s spinning, and then I would basically hang on until it would throw me off. And it was really scary, but I think that level of fear just makes that scene that much more authentic. It’s the hardest action sequence I’ve ever made.”
Until February 3, players in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand who purchase or upgrade to Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection via PlayStation Store will receive a voucher code for one standard ticket to see the Uncharted movie in participating cinemas.
“I’ve now received so many death threats I could paper the house with them, and I haven’t stopped speaking out,” she said. “Perhaps — and I’m just throwing this out there — the best way to prove your movement isn’t a threat to women, is to stop stalking, harassing and threatening us.”
