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'Free Guy' trailer shows a video game NPC without chains
Fox has posted the first trailer for the video game action-comedy Free Guy, and it appears ready to answer a lingering question: what if the trivial non-player characters in your favorite shooter realized they were in a game? The clip shows actor, producer and new wireless magnate Ryan Reynolds as a blissfully oblivious NPC who fulfills his background role in a Grand Theft Auto-style game until he questions his purpose and, naturally, becomes a hero that saves his virtual world.
Disney’s composer-focused podcast debuts this week
This Friday, Disney Music Group will launch a podcast that delves into some of its most beloved scores and the people behind them. For Scores includes interviews with composers who've worked across Disney's various enterprises: Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox. The series, hosted by journalist Jon Burlingame, will be available via various podcast platforms and smart speakers as well as YouTube.
Movie sanitizing service ordered to pay $62 million in piracy suit
A jury has ordered "family-friendly" movie service VidAngel to pay $62.4 million to Hollywood studios for pirating their content. Disney, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. sued the company over copyright infringement. VidAngel bought retail DVDs of mainstream movies and ripped the video file. It pulled out adult content, cursing, sex and violent aspects and streamed the films to users. It claimed it was legally allowed to do this under the Family Entertainment And Copyright Act, which legalizes tech to censor certain aspects of movies, but the studios and the jury disagreed.
Recommended Reading: The road to 'Avengers: Endgame'
Road to Endgame: 'The Avengers' changed cinema and avoided the mistakes of past Marvel movies Siddhant Adlakha, Slashfilm Avengers: Endgame marks the end of a 22-film run for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While there are certainly plans to make more movies, this phase will soon be over. Slashfilm is revisiting all of them in the run up to the premiere of Endgame on April 26th. This week alone, the site has covered The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. You can see the full list of the recaps right here.
Assassin's Creed movie pushed back, new date undisclosed
The Assassin's Creed movie won't hit cinemas on August 7, 2015 as planned, after Twentieth Century Fox removed the big screen adaptation from next year's summer schedule. As Variety reports, Fox didn't set a new date for the film, with reshuffles instead seeing Marvel's long-speculated Deadpool movie greenlit for February 12, 2016. Word of a film based on Ubisoft's historical series first slipped out of the shadows in 2012, with Promethius and X-Men star Michael Fassbender revealed as the leading man. Two years on and details remain sparse. There were couple of changes on the screenwriting staff, with Adam Cooper and Bill Collage understood to be currently rewriting the script. The pair worked on Accepted and Tower Heist, and are currently penning words for Ridley Scott's upcoming Exodus: Gods and Kings among others. Hollywood Reporter notes that, according to "Fox insiders," Assassin's Creed is expected to makes its silver screen debut in 2016. [Image: Ubisoft]
Fox to bring Magic: The Gathering to the silver screen
Magic: The Gathering is hoping to cast a spell on cinema-goers, after 20th Century Fox acquired screen rights to the Hasbro-owned card game. If your eyebrows aren't sufficiently raised, get this: According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film studio wants the 20-year-old series to become a mega-franchise like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Alrighty, then. Magic: The Gathering has been something of a gaming fixture in recent years, particularly through Stainless' Duels of the Planewalkers series. The Wizards of the Coasts card game has seen numerous adaptations into books, comics, and video games over the years, but if Fox makes good on those lofty ambitions, it'll be curious to see how it affects future video games; if there's one thing gaming is really lacking in, it's fantasy-based mega-franchises.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment's Mike Dunn
CES is always a big show for TV manufacturers, but what about the video that we'll actually be playing on those sets? Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn will join us to discuss his company's vision. January 9, 2014 12:00:00 PM EST
Assassin's Creed movie delayed, new target is August 7, 2015
Most recently slated for release on June 19, 2015, 20th Century Fox has opted to delay the Assassin's Creed film adaptation for two months. Barring further delays, the film will now debut on August 7. No specific reason is given for the delay, but as The Hollywood Reporter points out, Assassin's Creed is just one of three action films being pushed back by Fox. Matthew Vaughn's spy flick Secret Service has moved from November 2014 to March 2015, while the company's Fantastic Four reboot has shifted from March 2015 to June. There seem to be no nefarious reasons for these delays, and they are most likely the result of Fox executives ensuring a nice, even distribution of big-budget action features for the near future. Though little is known of the film, we can say that Assassin's Creed will star Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) as an ordinary, modern man sent into the Animus to relive the historic adventures of his ancestors, many of whom made a habit of stealthy murder.
Barnes & Noble bolstering Nook Video catalogue, bringing UltraViolet to the HD and HD+
Barnes & Noble is seriously beefing up its Nook ecosystem by striking deals with studios and other providers to bring a ton of new video content to its HD and HD+ tablets. Debuting alongside the slates, expected to start shipping in the US this week, thousands of SD and HD movies and TV shows from the likes of NBCUniversal, 20th Century Fox and others will be available for your consumption. Brits will get the same opportunity a little later, coinciding with the local release of the tablets closer to the holiday season. B&N won't force you to buy its hardware to enjoy the expanded catalogue, as it'll be releasing free Nook Video apps in the future to access the content from all platforms. What's more, you'll also be able to view UltraViolet video on the HD and HD+, meaning you can watch all that previously purchased content right from the get-go. This is certainly a huge bonus for consumers that have a big UV library, and coupled with all the new content, we wouldn't be surprised if Nook sales start stealing a little heat from the Fire.
Fox kicks off its Digital HD initiative by joining Google Play and YouTube, offering movies early
Fox embraced a radical thought when it outlined its Digital HD initiative earlier this month: customers are more likely to buy digital movies if the content isn't artificially delayed and priced to match the releases on conventional discs. The studio is about to see if that gamble on common sense pays off. As of today, you'll find 600-plus Fox movies ready to buy or rent in HD across every major digital video store in the US, with many downloads cleared to arrive ahead of their physical counterparts at lower prices that reflect a disc-free reality. The media giant has also decided to play nicely with Google after a longstanding absence, putting its movies and TV shows on Google Play Movies and YouTube. Its tentpole movie release Prometheus is unsurprisingly being used as the prime incentive to try Digital HD; the title is available online three weeks before the Blu-ray launch at a more reasonable $15 price. The sci-fi thriller is even Fox's first movie destined for UltraViolet cloud lockers. Only Americans will have expanded access to movies and TV at first, but it shouldn't be too long before many countries can be creeped out by Michael Fassbender's android -- including on their Android devices.
Fox to sell Digital HD movies three weeks ahead of discs or VOD, Prometheus is first (Update: via Amazon, iTunes, Xbox, Vudu etc.)
According to the New York Times, Fox is about to try another tactic to enhance sales of its movies, by offering downloadable UltraViolet (Update: and many other formats, see below.) copies for sale a full three weeks ahead of their release on Blu-ray / DVD or for video on-demand rental. The first movie to get the treatment will be Ridley Scott's Prometheus later this month, and Fox is pricing the copies at about $15, down from the $20 of previous releases. Other flicks on deck for the early digital sale treatment are Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Watch and Ice Age: Continental Drift. Fox is apparently calling the setup Digital HD, or DHD, as it rolls out in 50 different countries all at once, and opted to offer the flicks in high definition instead of issuing cheaper standard def versions to "put its best foot forward". Last year's $30 premium VOD rental pilot was another attempt to experiment with release windows that Fox participated in, but DHD's more reasonable pricing makes it an interesting option. Of course, the main trick will be getting customers to opt for an UltraViolet format which is still not supported by Apple and Amazon's movie stores, but dangling early access to mainstream movies could be just the bait required. Update: We talked to Fox and confirmed that the DHD initiative is not limited to only Ultraviolet. According to the studio when this kicks off September 18th, it will make more than 600 films available across stores including Amazon, CinemaNow, iTunes, PlayStation, VUDU and Xbox. Prometheus is also Fox's first UV title and its first new release under the DHD program, but if you prefer your digital movies in another format, it looks like you'll be able to get them. Update 2: The Fox Home Entertainment Twitter account posted a link to the iTunes preorder which is already live, we're not seeing it in the other stores we've checked yet but it will likely show up in those eventually.
HBO and Fox cut a deal to keep the movies flowing through 2022, HBO Nordic launches soon
Just in case you only thought Amazon, Netflix and Redbox were working the studio deals, HBO announced today it's worked out an extension of its agreement with 20th Century Fox. Already the "premium network home" of Fox flicks for more than 30 years, this deal is long enough to keep it going into the next decade. The LA Times reports from its sources the original deal would have expired in 2015, while the extension pushes it out to 2022 at a price of over $200 million per year. One key adjustment that's been made for the digital age gives Fox the ability to continue to sell its movies over digital stores even while they're airing on HBO unlike the previous deal, although we're told this provision does not extend to rentals during that time. That's on top of a previous tweak negotiated months ago that let Fox and other HBO partners provide digital copies of their movies on services like iTunes from the Cloud and Ultraviolet during the HBO pay window. One other note is that on the same day Netflix revealed its service is coming to several Scandinavian locales, HBO announced it's doing the same, launching HBO Nordic in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.
Rise and Shiny: Family Guy Online
Let me just say this, right off the bat: I cannot stand the Family Guy television series. I know, I know, it's full of shocking, edgy humor and wacky character like the elderly child molester and the sex-crazed neighbor, so why shouldn't I love it? But I've seen the style of humor many times, and it's always, well, non-funny. I've said this before and I still mean it: Seth MacFarlane is this generation's Adam Sandler. They both do one voice and have made millions of dollars from it. So when I decided to see whether Family Guy Online is a real MMO or just a vehicle for the new movie The Watch, (it's plastered throughout much of the game), I was ready for plenty of potty humor, jokes that tried to offend me, and essentially a horrible time. Oh, I found the horrible time easily enough (and forgave much of it because of the game's beta state), but I also found some pretty cool gameplay. Some, I said.
Netflix fires back in UK streaming war, says it has Fox TV shows too, plus Arrested Development
Just days after Lovefilm touted its TV and movie deal with 20th Century Fox, Netflix UK is promoting its own TV show additions from the studio, including an exclusive on The League. While we're not sure how well a comedy about Fantasy (North American) Football will go over across the pond, it's also adding Modern Family, Lie to Me, Sons of Anarchy and more, and points out it already has series like 24 and Prison Break that Lovefilm is just now adding. The highest profile piece however, is Netflix's exclusive hold on a new season of the old Fox show Arrested Development, set to premiere in 2013. The press release with the full list is after the break, contrast and compare your options to see which streaming service (if either) is a good fit.
Netflix and Twentieth Century Fox ink deal to bring additional Instant content to Latin America, Brazil
Twentieth Century Fox and Netflix have announced a partnership that will bring additional television and movie content to avid streamers living in Latin America and Brazil later this year. Beginning on July 15th, TV mainstays -- including 24, Prison Break, Bones and Glee -- will be available via the movie rental company's Instant service in the aforementioned geographies. What's more, Twentieth Century's classic films division will add several movie titles, including cult-classics like Office Space and Wall Street, to the streaming menu. If you currently reside in Latin America or Brazil and are itching to know more, mosey on past the break and have a look at the full press release.
SEC investigating movie studios' dealings with China
Reuters is reporting that regulators have begun a probe of American movie studios and their dealings with Chinese officials. The Security and Exchange Commission has sent letters to at least five companies, including 20th Century Fox, Disney and DreamWorks Animation requesting information about "potential[ly] inappropriate payments" made to members of the Chinese government. The market in the pseudo-Communist nation is seen as one with huge potential for US-made films, but the state-owned China Film Group has placed strict limits on foreign cinema. However, in February, the group agreed to loosen restrictions and exempt up to 14 IMAX or 3D films a year (along with their 2D counterparts) from the 20 movie cap on international media. Around the same time, DreamWorks announced it would be building a production studio in Shanghai with participation from several large Chinese media companies. Even Disney struck a deal that will see the next Iron Man title co-produced by China's DMG Entertainment. The sudden shift in tone must have raised some eyebrows with watchdogs, and the SEC has responded by hitting up the studios for info over the last few months. Obviously, we'll be keeping an eye on this to see how it develops.
Universal Studios films appear in iCloud, Fox still unavailable
One advantage to iCloud is the ability to re-download movies that you purchased through iTunes. When the download feature became available in March, only four of the six major movie studios were on-board with the service. The two holdouts, Universal and 20th Century Fox, had contracts with HBO that prevented their participation in the service. HBO reportedly loosened its agreement and now Universal movies are available for download via iCloud, according to a MacRumors report. Movies from 20th Century Fox are still not available in iCloud, but negotiations supposedly are under way and iCloud support should be coming soon.
HBO in talks to relax iCloud ban on Universal, Fox movies for Apple TV
Remember when it was revealed that Fox and Universal's movie libraries wouldn't be able to stream via iCloud to your Apple TV? The reason was that both studios were locked into an exclusive window with HBO. Fortunately, the cable channel is already entering into negotiations with the studios to relax that rule for people who have already bought their movies -- having already done so for stablemate Warner Bros. A settlement is expected to be forthcoming in the next few weeks, at which point we can get back to the important things in life: the second series of Game of Thrones.
Fox, Warner, SanDisk and Western Digital's Project Phenix: promotes DRM, misspelling
Studios Fox and Warner Bros. have teamed up with SanDisk and Western Digital to create "Project Phenix." Beneath the orthographically offensive name, it's pitched as DRM that'll permit you to organize, move and watch high-definition content on more than one device. It's the brainchild of the Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA), which has ensured compatibility with UltraViolet, so that users will be able to download cloud-based media to compliant WD and SanDisk storage -- to play on any alliance-approved TVs, tablets and display devices. We'll see the technology available to license later in the year, which promises to render content ten times faster than streaming media on "over the top internet" (translation: streaming services). Yes, there's PR after the break, but we'd only suggest taking a look if you've got a good pair of waders.
Netflix, Fox ready to resurrect Arrested Development as a streaming exclusive in 2013
The Bluth family has been off of TV since Arrested Development was cancelled by Fox back in 2006, but after many rumors and reports of a bidding war the show is ready to return as a Netflix-exclusive series. New episodes should be available in the first half of 2013 and represent another serious push into original content for Netflix after it signed up House of Cards, which will debut next year. The details are in the press release after the break, including interesting quotes from Fox execs celebrating this "new business model" allowing them to bring back this show, following Family Guy and Futurama making similar trips back from the dead. After a summer of price hikes, cancellations, and Qwikster PR gaffes, this should bring in goodwill at least from fans of this show, and likely intensify campaigns to save other gone-too-soon TV shows. So what's next to get the Flatliners treatment? Firefly? Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles? Dollhouse? Terriers? Community (six seasons and a movie!)?
