It was a shorter work week in the US this week, with the July 4 holiday on Monday. That may account for a relatively quiet period in terms of pop culture news. Below are the announcements that stood out for us.
As for industry deaths, tough guy actor James Caan (82) and Yi-Gi-Oh! manga creator Kazuki Takahashi (60) both passed this week.
Film
Yaaaas, King! The news we are probably the happiest about this week is that we finally have an official trailer for The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and John Boyega. Inspired by the true story of the Agojie, The Woman King follows the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. The Agojie were also one of the real life inspirations behind Black Panther’s Dora Milaje.
The Woman King is scheduled for theatrical release on 16 September 2022.
Is the world ready for more of Kevin Smith’s Clerks, which, back in the 90s, quickly established itself as a cult indie comedy classic? Sixteen years after the last Clerks movie, Smith and co are back for one more round with Clerks III. The barebones plot synopsis as provided by Smith is “after surviving a heart attack, Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) decides to make a movie with Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) about their lives at the Quick Stop convenience store.” Rosario Dawson is back too, with loads of familiar, if more grizzled, faces from Smith’s long-running View Askewniverse.
Clerks III hits cinemas on 13 September.
Last up in film trailers is the latest effort from David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), Amsterdam. With a star-studded cast including Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Taylor Swift, Mike Myers, and Robert de Niro, Amsterdam should be a hit. Though, as soon as the trailer released, many people took to social media to remind the world of all the shady accusations that have swirled around Russell for many years – The Daily Beast has more on this – and disappointment that such high-calibre actors have chosen to work with hum.
Amsterdam arrives in theaters November 2022.
Television
Barely a week after the teaser trailer released, we have the official trailer for the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series, Paper Girls. Based on the multi-Eisner award winning comic of the same name by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, we’re looking forward to seeing some time-travelling, world-saving shenanigans on 29 July.
Fresh off the high of Stranger Things Vol 4, the writing/directing/producing dream team of The Duffer Brothers have formed their own production house, Upside Down Pictures, and committed to Netflix with several new projects.
These include taking another stab at a live-action version of the manga Death Note (as a series this time), an adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s 1984 novel The Talisman, a Stranger Things spin-off series, a stage-play set in the Stranger Things universe, and an original series from the team behind Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Deadline has more details about the new production house and upcoming projects.
What we won’t be seeing more of, is Gentleman Jack. The HBO and BBC co-production has been cancelled after two seasons. We can guess the reason: this period piece, and queer love story based on real-life events, has always looked hella expensive, and never achieved mega mainstream sucess. More here.
Gaming
One brief 30-second cinematic trailer has finally confirmed the release date for the long-awaited God of War sequel. God of War: Ragnarok is scheduled to be released worldwide on 9 November, for PS4 and 5. Set three years after the events of 2018’s God of War, Kratos and his teenage son Atreus contend with Norse gods and creatures of Scandinavian mythology as they seek out a means to prevent the end of everything.
You can also check out the various editions of the game, including the goodie-stuffed Jötnar Edition, here. You’ll be able to place your preorders for the different versions, physical and digital, from 15 July.
Sea of Thieves finally has some competition in the pirate adventuring department. Coming 8 November to PS5, Xbox X|S, and Windows PC (through the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store, Stadia and Amazon Luna) is Skull and Bones, Ubisoft’s long-in-development open world action adventure. What began life as a desire to capitalise on the popularity of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is now a big salt water sandbox set in the Indian Ocean during the second Golden Age of Piracy.
Skull and Bones is mostly what you’d expect from this type of game, as you build your personal pirate empire: naval battles, contract missions, resource gathering, comprehensive customisation options of everything in your black flag life, and a choice between solo play, co-op (up to three players) or even some PVP challenge.
Skull and Bones already has a multi-year post-launch plan in place, with regular updates to include new content, activities, stories and challenges that will be free for all players.
Here’s the extended gameplay overview trailer for a better idea of what to expect. You can also find more information on the official Skull and Bones site.
Honestly, it could do with more over-the-top Paul Verhoeven movie flavour, and a third-person perspective wouldn’t have hurt, but there’s a new RoboCop game coming out next year – courtesy of studio Teyon and publisher Nacon. Here’s the latest gameplay centred trailer for RoboCop: Rogue City.
The good news is that this first person shooter managed to recruit original RoboCop actor Peter Weller to provide voice work and a likeness for the game, where you assume the role of the cyborg cop trying to restore order to a crumbling near future Detroit, plagued by crime and injustice.
RoboCop: Rogue City is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X in June 2023.