Busy times. Got stuff to do. So let’s keep this week’s catch-up of standout pop culture news to the point.
Gaming
Traditionally Xbox’s Developer_Direct showcases are more for hardcore gaming fans. They don’t get as much attention as the big midyear streams. Things are a little different this year, as January’s 50-minute Developer_Direct 2024 revealed more information on two highly anticipated upcoming releases. For the record, you can read all the announcements made during the stream here.
We knew that Xbox was making an Indiana Jones exclusive to rival PlayStation’s Uncharted games, but we didn’t know the Indy adventure, from MachineGames (the makers of the recent Wolfenstein series), would be out THIS YEAR. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-person, single-player adventure set in 1937, slap bang between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The game is coming to Xbox Series consoles, PC and subscription service Game Pass. Out of interest The Last of Us and Uncharted 4’s Troy Baker voices the whip-cracking archaeologist, who still bears Harrison Ford’s likeness.
Meanwhile, Ninja Theory revealed more information about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, the sequel to 2017’s award-winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Of most interest, Senua’s Saga has been confirmed as having a similar length to the first game, so expect a sub 10-hour experience. It’s also going to be a digital-only release. Finally, we have a launch date! Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is coming to Xbox Series consoles and PC, as well as Game Pass, on 21 May 2024.
Film
Now normally we wouldn’t care about a Jennifer Lopez film, but This Is Me…Now: A Love Story looks wildly different. Like seriously, watch the trailer, which changes thematic direction and genre at least five times. Concert films are all the rage right now, but This Is Me… is pretty much an album concept film, debuting alongside the singer and actress’s first studio release in a decade.
Described as “a narrative-driven cinematic odyssey, steeped in mythological storytelling and personal healing,” This Is Me…Now: A Love Story comes to Prime Video on 16 February.
Tidbit time:
- Look forward to Oppenheimer back at IMAX for a limited time. In South Africa the film will be returning to the big big screen on 23 February 2024 – no doubt to capitalise on the inevitable Oscar hype.
- Two horror games are making the leap to the big screen: Supermassive’s already cinematic, choice-driven Until Dawn is being adapted by the makers of Annabelle: Creation. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, 2022 psychological thriller Martha is Dead is in active development in Sweden. Thanks, Five Nights at Freddy’s.
- Following a product tie-in reveal of Dakota Johnson’s costume in Madame Web, we now have an official look at the other Spidey costumes worn by the young heroines in Sony’s upcoming spin-off.
Series
The 2024 Emmy Awards took place this week, postponed from late 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Strikes. You can see all the winners of the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards here, but in summary, it was a good year for the fourth and final season of Succession, which won six awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.
Also doing well were family restaurant tale The Bear (watch on FX/Disney+), which also earned six accolades, including for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Jeremy Allen White), and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Netflix’s Beef won five Emmys, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Steven Yeun), and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Ali Wong).
A couple of other notables from the evening: Jennifer Coolidge was named Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The White Lotus, and Better Call Saul now holds the record for Emmy snubs. Over six seasons, it racked up 53 nominations and didn’t win a single one.
Netflix’s Daredevil is not only now confirmed as part of the MCU, but some familiar faces are returning as well as Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again is retooled. Well, apparently anyway. Take this story with a grain of salt, but Deborah Ann Woll as secretary-turned-journalist Karen Page, and Elden Henson as Matt Murdock’s best friend and legal practice partner Foggy Nelson, are both now set to appear in the upcoming superhero show.
Speaking of familiar faces, Laurence Fishburne is joining the cast of Netflix’s The Witcher. He’ll be playing gentlemanly vampire Regis alongside Liam Hemsworth’s new take on Geralt of Rivia. Out of interest, Season 4 of the The Witcher series will adapt Baptism of Fire, the third Witcher novel from Andrzej Sapkowski, where Geralt searches for Ciri following the events of the Thanned Coup, which completely upended power dynamics in the fantasy universe.