RIP Peter Mayhew

News has sadly broken that Star Wars actor Peter Mayhew has passed away at the age of 74.

Mayhew was born in 1944 in London and was noted for his exceptional height, peaking at 7 foot, 3 inches. His exceptional height attracted the attention of casting agents, who cast him in the role of the minotaur in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger in 1976. He was put forward for a role in George Lucas's Star Wars; originally Lucas had cast David Prowse as Chewbacca but had second thoughts and decided that Prowse would make a better Darth Vader. Mayhew noted that he was cast based almost entirely on his height.

Mayhew played Chewbacca solo in four Star Wars movies: Star Wars (1977, later retitled A New Hope), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983) and Revenge of the Sith (2005). He also reprised the role for several TV guest appearances and public appearances. In 2015 he returned to the role for The Force Awakens, but ill health prevented him from playing Chewbacca full-time. Instead, Mayhew played the role in scenes with Chewbacca sitting down or standing still, whilst Finnish actor Joonas Suotamo played the role in action sequences.

After the release of The Force Awakens, Mayhew announced his retirement from the role and gave his blessing for Suotamo to take over the role full-time. Suotamo has since reprised the role in The Last Jedi (2017), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Suotamo sought Mayhew's advice when taking over the role full-time in The Last Jedi, leading to Mayhew being credited as "Chewbacca Consultant" on the film.

Despite having no audible dialogue in the films, Chewbacca became a firm fan-favourite for his personality and discernible sense of humour. Chewbacca's inability to talk normally proved challenging for the writers of the Star Wars novels, ultimately leading to the (wildly unpopular) decision to kill off the character (albeit heroically) in the novel Vector Prime. The decision was so unpopular that the author, R.A. Salvatore, received death threats. When Disney took over the Star Wars franchise in 2012, Chewbacca's death was given as the primary reason why the novels would be ignored and the canon rebooted.

Mayhew appeared in several non-Star Wars-related movies over the years and also used his celebrity to promote charitable causes.

Mayhew is sadly the third actor from the core Star Wars cast to pass away, following Kenny Baker (R2-D2) in 2016 and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) in 2016.

The Future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Back in 2014, head of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige laid down his vision for the next five years of Marvel movies. As of the release of Avengers: Endgame, that vision is now complete. Some projects fell by the wayside - an Inhumans movie was dropped and was changed into a TV series (which flopped, badly) - and others have stepped up, with the addition of the Spider-Man character resulting in several new solo movies for him added to the roster.

Spider-Man and Black Panther are expected to be key characters in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Feige is expected to unveil a master plan for the next generation of Marvel movies - "Phase 4" - at the San Diego Comic-Con in July. It sounds like the plan is for a series of new movies that will take us up to the end of 2023, and will lean heavily on the newer generations of Marvel heroes such as Black Panther and Captain Marvel. However, this Phase will also feature a twist, as it will also incorporate a number of TV mini-series for the new Disney streaming platform, Disney+. These short series (estimated at 6-10 episodes apiece) will expand on some characters and will also introduce new characters, possibly setting them up to appear in new movies further down the road. Unlike previous Marvel TV shows (such as the Netflix series, Agents of SHIELD and The Inhumans), whose canonical status with regards to the movies is debatable, these Disney+ series are being made by Marvel Studios under Feige's direct supervision, and will be definitively be canon with regards to the films.

The roster of upcoming TV shows and films is as follows.

Please note that this article will contain spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.


Movies

Spider-Man: Far from Home
Directed by Jon Watts
Filming Dates: July-October 2018
Release Date: 2 July 2019

Already in the can, this is a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and will pick up with the character of Spider-Man/Peter Parker shortly after the events of Endgame. The film will see Spider-Man being recruited by Nick Fury to look into a series of strange events during a school trip to Europe. Marvel originally hoped to release this film much later, so marketing would not interfere with promotions for Endgame, but Sony's contract with Marvel requited them to start marketing the movie earlier.


Black Widow
Directed by Cate Shortland
Filming Dates: "soon"
Release Date: late 2020?

A solo Black Widow movie has been under discussion since Scarlett Johansson debuted in the role in Iron Man 2 (2010). Shortland signed on to direct in July 2018 and reportedly the film is due to start shooting "soon." The events of Endgame leave the focus and story of the film a mystery, but reportedly the film is a prequel which will explain some of Natasha's backstory. As far as is known, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is not expected to appear, which is unusual as their shared backstory is an obvious place for a film to pick up.


The Eternals
Directed by Chlo� Zhao
Filming Dates: August-Late 2018
Release Date: late 2020/early 2021?

Chlo� Zhao signed on to direct a movie based on Jack Kirby's immortal heroes in September 2018, and production is due to start in August. Angelina Jolie is playing Sersi whilst Kumail Nanjiani is also in talks to star.


Black Panther 2
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Filming Dates: unknown
Release Date: 2021?

Ryan Coogler has agreed to return to direct and write a sequel to his 2018 mega-hit. The entire (surviving) main cast is expected to return.


Doctor Strange 2
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Release Date: 2021?

Scott Derrickson has agreed to return to direct and co-write a sequel to the 2017 original. The original main cast is expected to return. Apparently the film will be "weirder" than the first one.


Spider-Man 3
Release Date: 2021?

Sony's contract with Marvel is believed to require a sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home to be released two years after that movie, if Far From Home is financially successful. The cast's contracts are believed to include three-film options, but it's unclear if Jon Watts would return for a third movie.


Shang-Chi
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Release Date: 2022?

Scriptwriter David Callaham and director Destin Daniel Cretton signed on in early 2019 to bring Marvel's crimefighting kung fu star (well, one of them, along with Iron Fist) to the big screen.


Captain Marvel 2
Release Date: 2022?

Not formally greenlit yet, although Captain Marvel's $1.1 billion take-home makes that a formality at this point. According to Kevin Feige, the sequel may actually be an "interquel", bridging Captain Marvel to Avengers: Endgame and exploring what Carol was up to in space during that time.


The Avengers 5
Release Date: 2022?

After Infinity War and Endgame blew up the box office between them, a further Avengers movie is of course a no-brainer. The film would likely see at least Falcon, Winter Soldier, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther and Captain Marvel reunite to face off against some kind of threat, potentially to be joined by Thor, the "new" Hawkeye and She-Hulk (see the TV section). Alternatively the film could also act as a last hurrah for the old Hawkeye and Hulk (and Thor, depending on the timeline, see below) before their retirement.


Ant-Man 3
Directed by Peyton Reed
Release Date: unknown

Proposed but not yet formally greenlit. Director Peyton Reed has been discussing the project with Marvel, and actor Michael Douglas is reportedly keen to return as Hank Pym. It's also believed that most of the cast from the first two movies would return.


Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Directed by James Gunn
Release Date: unknown

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was greenlit shortly after the success of Vol. 2 in 2017. However, director James Gunn was fired from the project in July 2018 after controversial tweets he'd made many years earlier resurfaced. Gunn signed on to direct The Suicide Squad for DC instead. After discussions with the cast, who were extremely unhappy with Gunn's firing, Disney reinstated him in March 2019. This now means that Gunn can't start production on Vol. 3 until work on The Suicide Squad is completed before its release in August 2021. This puts Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 potentially off until late 2022 at the earliest, and possibly later.


Thor 4
Release Date: unknown

Based on Chris Hemsworth's statements, it was expected that he would be retiring from the role following Endgame. However, both Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the Infinity War two-parter revitalised his interest in the character and he has since committed to returning. The timeline for Thor 4 is heavily dependent on the availability of Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, who has been in talks to shoot the live-action version of Akira but still hasn't fully committed, and also on the scheduling for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as Thor is believed to play a role in that movie. Some have suggested that if Waititi passes on Akira, Thor 4 could shoot much sooner and work as an interim Guardians side-movie until the Gunn-directed Guardians 3 hits production, but this is unconfirmed.


The Thunderbolts
Release Date: unknown

Not greenlit, but apparently discussed, is a movie teaming up the Marvel supervillains who have survived this far. Apparently the roster could consist of Zemo (Captain America: Civil War), Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Abomination (The Incredible Hulk) and Ghost (Ant-Man and the Wasp), along potentially with new characters. This is a very speculative project until a director and writer can be found with passion for the project.

Disney+ Shows

Falcon & Winter Soldier
Release Date: 2020

Greenlit and already in pre-production, with shooting due to start soon. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprise their roles from the movies. The actors and Marvel had apparently discussed a range of options for the series, including a "buddy cop" dynamic similar to 1980s movies like 48 Hours. However, reportedly the tone for the series is going to be a ground-level thriller similar to The Winter Soldier, with a focus on stealth and espionage.


WandaVision
Release Date: 2020-21

Greenlit and in the writing stage. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany will reprise their roles as Scarlet Witch and Vision from the films. The series will apparently be an interquel, exploring how the characters' relationship evolved between Civil War to Infinity War. Some reports have suggested that there may be scenes set in the 1950s, hinting possibly at hallucinations or even outright time travel.


Loki
Release Date: 2020-21

Greenlit and in the writing stage. Tom Hiddleson will reprise his role from the films as Loki. The TV series will be anthology-like, with major events from Earth's history over the last thousand years being revealed to have been orchestrated by Loki for his own amusement.


Hawkeye
Release Date: unknown

Not formally greenlit, but negotiations are at an advanced stage for a limited series starring Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye. The series would see Barton meeting and training up Kate Bishop, a skilled archer who (in the comics) becomes a later incarnation of Hawkeye.


Hulk/She-Hulk
Release Date: unknown

Not formally greenlit, but negotiations are at an early stage for a limited series that would see Mark Ruffalo return as Bruce Banner/Hulk. The series would see Banner meeting his cousin Jennifer Walters, who in the comics is destined to become She-Hulk. The film would act as a passing-the-baton story, allowing She-Hulk to potentially appear in later Avengers movies.


Power Pack
Release Date: unknown

Not formally greenlit and apparently talks are only in the very earliest stages, but there has been some discussion about adapting Power Pack as an ongoing, multi-season TV show. Power Pack is a more children's oriented Marvel Comic series about four children who gain superpowers from a dying alien trying to protect their father, who has perfected a limitless source of energy. Other aliens arrive trying to seize the device, resulting in a running, desperate battle. This is a better fit for television than for film. Intriguingly, Power Pack crosses over a lot with Fantastic Four (Reed Richards' son Franklin becomes a recurring member later on), which means that Marvel might get to use its new rights to that franchise sooner than expected.


Ms. Marvel
Release Date: unknown

Marvel and Disney+ are exploring using the streaming service to set up the character of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. However, this may depend on the direction of Captain Marvel 2, where it has been suggested that Ms. Marvel could be introduced instead.

The X-Verse

At the current time, there are no plans to incorporate characters from Fox's "X-Verse" (plus the Fantastic Four franchise) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following Disney's acquisition of Fox. As of now, the Fox X-Verse is expected to come to an end with the release of X-Men: Dark Phoenix in June and New Mutants in August. Films under discussion or in the planning stages, including Deadpool 3, X-Force, Gambit and a sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse have been cancelled.

According to Kevin Feige, the planning for Phase 4 was already at an advanced stage when the deal was confirmed, putting off the introduction of those characters until the advent of Phase 5 in 2023 or 2024 at the earliest. However, some fans have speculated that whilst dumping the entire X-Verse roster of characters into the MCU in Phase 4 might be untenable, it might be possible to use individual characters and villains, with Galactus cited as a worthy opponent for the possible next Avengers film or films.

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A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay

Danio Cerra is the son of a tailor who, through luck and connections, finds himself working in the household of the Duke of Mylasia, known throughout the city-stats of Batiara as "The Beast." Adria Ripoli is the daughter of a wealthy family who is predisposed to action and danger. Folco d'Acorsi and Teobaldo Monticola are rival mercenary commanders, the greatest generals of their day, whose fame and expertise are desired throughout the world, and who share a hatred and rivalry that will shape all that is to come.

A Brightness Long Ago is the fourteenth novel by Guy Gavriel Kay, the Canadian author who (since the sorrowful departure of Gene Wolfe) may now hold the best claim to being the greatest living writer of fantasy fiction, a claim backed by the likes of both Tor.com and Brandon Sanderson. Kay's novels take real historical events and then weave a fantastical new shape out of them, creating a rich tapestry of characters, events and emotions that is never less than affecting, and, at his best, can be deeply moving.

Kay's finest novels, arguably, are Tigana, The Lions of Al-Rassan and Under Heaven, in each of which epic events are set in motion but relayed through the eyes of a small number of fantastically-drawn characters. A Brightness Long Ago comfortably joins their ranks, telling a somewhat larger, more epic story than his previous novel, Children of Earth and Sky (to which A Brightness Long Ago can be read as a prequel, although both novels stand alone). Kay's Batiara - his take on Renaissance Italy - is a land of beautiful cities and gifted artists, writers and philosophers, but it's also a land of feuding politicians and frequent warfare, which the High Patriarch in Rhodias (the Pope, effectively) is unable to overcome. With the Asharite armies threatening to breach the walls of Sarantium to the east, the cities of Batiara and the other Jaddite kingdoms are unable to join forces to save the City of Cities from its fate, which looms large in the background of the novel.

The main focus is on the cast of characters, with Danio as our first-person narrator but the action frequently cutting away to Adria, Folco, Teobaldo and several other prominent characters. As is usual with Kay, these characters are vividly well-drawn, with their hopes, desires and pasts driving their motivations. Kay's gifts lie also in atmosphere, and also in his lack of bloodlust. Too many epic fantasy authors seem to thrive on massive battles with bodies piled up like cordwood afterwards, but Kay has always been a more humane author, not to mention a more historically-minded one; bloodbath battles where tens of thousands are killed are relatively rare in real medieval and Renaissance history, with the most successful generals being those who used military force and sometimes just the threat of military force to achieve clear-cut objectives with the minimum of losses (and thus expense). As a result, the military rivalry between Folco and Teobaldo (loosely inspired by the rivalry between the real Frederico Montefeltro and Sigismondo Malatesta) is more of a fascinating game of chess, with both men seeking to out-manoeuvre the other on the battlefield, not slaughtering one another's men en masse.

Like most of Kay's novels, the book also references artists and creatives, with Danio's ambition to be a bookbinder and seller constantly thwarted by being drawn into the affairs of the mighty, and a minor subplot focusing on an artist who is constantly wandering from city to city, being paid vast sums for work that is generally never completed, because the lord in question dies or their city is taken by someone else. As with most Kay books there are also moments of real warmth, friendship and fellowship. Kay is not afraid to the show the uglier, messier side of life, death and war, but he also embraces the good things about life, and shows that it is worth fighting for.

A Brightness Long Ago (*****) is another superb novel from an author who may be fantasy's most reliably excellent, thoughtful, atmospheric and humane writer, and one whose powers remain notably undimmed. It's a book about lives, how people live them and the events that shape them, and how everything is connected. The novel will be published on 14 May in the UK and USA.

WILLOW sequel TV series in development

In a surprising move, Disney and Lucasfilm have confirmed they are currently discussing producing a sequel the 1988 fantasy movie Willow for streaming service Disney+.

The original movie saw the diminutive title character, played by Warwick Davis, take custody of a young human baby upon whom the fate of the world depended. Willow teamed up with a group of heroes to safeguard the child and ensure the defeat of the evil villain, Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley also starred, whilst George Lucas produced and came up with the story. Ron Howard directed.

The film was only a modest financial success but gained a greater following on home video, and has become regarded as a cult classic over the years, along with fellow 1980s fantasy movies Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Dragonslayer and Conan the Barbarian. Lucas planned a larger and more epic sequel at one time (essentially a Lord of the Rings to Willow's The Hobbit) but never fulfilled these plans. Instead, he developed a sequel novel series with X-Men writer Chris Claremont, under the title Chronicles of the Shadow War. Three books were published in this series between 1996 and 2000: Shadow Moon, Shadow Dawn and Shadow Star.

The new project came about after Ron Howard and Warwick Davis were reunited during the filming of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Davis discussed ideas for a sequel with Howard and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Solo co-writer Jon Kasdan was also intrigued by the idea of developing a sequel to the original movie. Kennedy didn't think there was mileage in a film continuation, but felt it might be a better fit as a TV series or mini-series at Disney+.

Although not formally greenlit, development of a script is continuing with Davis having already agreed to return in the title role. Val Kilmer has also expressed interest in returning.

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg to adapt RIVERS OF LONDON for television

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, The World's End, Paul, Spaced) have re-teamed to produce a television adaptation of Ben Aaronovitch's urban fantasy series Rivers of London.

Stolen Pictures, the production company founded by Frost and Pegg to develop new projects, have optioned the rights to the series and are searching for a production partner. Currently the plan is to adapt the first novel, Rivers of London (retitled Midnight Riot in the US for no particular reason) across 8-10 episodes. Subsequent seasons may combine the narratives of several books.

For Aaronovitch, this is coming full circle as he began his writing career in the 1980s working in television, including writing episodes of Doctor Who. After some time out of the writing field, he returned with the Rivers of London series, exploring the adventures of Peter Grant, a young constable in the Metropolitan Police who is drafted into the service's undercover magic division under Thomas Nightingale.

To date the series comprises the novels Rivers of London (2011), Whispers Under Ground (2012), Broken Homes (2013), Foxglove Summer (2014), The Hanging Tree (2016) and Lies Sleeping (2018), as well as several novellas and graphic novels. 

Game of Thrones: Season 8.0

Great armies are gathering at Winterfell. The White Walkers have breached the Wall and are marching south, planning to wipe out humanity. The scene is set for a great confrontation, a war which will determine whether anyone lives to see another dawn.

Originally I'd planned to wait until the season was complete before reviewing the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, as with the past few seasons, but structurally the final season is panning out in a way that seemed more rewarding to review it as two halves. So here we go.

Way back in 2007, when it was confirmed that HBO was developing George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire for television, they also almost immediately confirmed that the show would be called Game of Thrones. It made sense: Game of Thrones is a more concise, faster-to-say title that fits onto merchandise better and is more memorable. Many of the spin-off media from the books had used that title for years for much the same reason. Watching Season 8, it strikes me that the title change may also reflect a much more fundamental and philosophical shift in the focus of the story.

A Song of Ice and Fire is a title rooted in mysticism, prophecy and thematic conflict, the struggle between the ice of the Others (the books' analogue of the White Walkers) and the fire of the living, as championed by the dragons of House Targaryen. It suggests that the core struggles of the series will culminate in a confrontation between humanity and the Others, as personified by the Prince That Was Promised, the singer of the Song of Ice and Fire, who in the books may be Jon Snow or Daenerys Targaryen (or both). Game of Thrones, on the other hand, emphasises the Machiavellian realpolitik of the story, the ground-level struggle between differing political factions for a more mundane goal, control of the Iron Throne of Westeros.

Season 8 of Game of Thrones suggests that the producers had another reason beyond conciseness for changing the name. Season 8 breaks the remaining part of the story into two and addresses them separately, focusing in the first three episodes (surprisingly) on the struggle against the White Walkers at Winterfell and the latter three on who gets to claim the Iron Throne in King's Landing. This suggests that, in the view of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the final conflict is a mundane, human one, focusing again on the conflict between Stark and Lannister, which is where we came in during Season 1. It's not an invalid take, given the lack of the source material, but it feels like it's at variance with the thematic conflicts and ideas established in the books, where very much it is presented that the mundane political conflict is a dangerous distraction from the true threat gathering to the north (despite the Others' relative lack of screentime - or pagetime - in the books versus the TV show).

As such the first three episodes of Season 8 form more of a three-and-a-half hour movie. The first episode, written by Dave Hill (soon to be tackling a new fantasy TV show as a writer on Amazon's Wheel of Time series) sees the gathering of forces at Winterfell and both long-awaited reunions (particularly Jon with Arya, whom he hasn't seen since the second episode of the entire series). It's a fairly standard "catching everyone up" opening episode for a season, with some nice callbacks to the first episode of the entire series.

The second episode is set immediately before the arrival of the White Walkers and is penned by Bryan Cogman, the writer responsible for many of the show's finest episodes and moments. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a love letter to the characters, delving deeply into character moments and conversations between them on the eve of an apocalyptic final confrontation. It's also a huge nod to book-reading fans, referencing the legend of Ser Duncan the Tall (the star of Martin's spin-off series of novellas about a hedge knight wandering Westeros ninety years before the events of the main story) and his likely status as an ancestor of Brienne.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is in fact probably the best episode of the entire series since at least Season 4. It sets up character conflict down the line (such as Jon's claim to the Iron Throne, which clashes with Daenerys') but also explores interrelationships between characters. It's also quite funny, warm and human, which is something that Game of Thrones can sometimes neglect in favour of cynical backstabbing and death.

The slow build-up ("the deep breath before the plunge" as another fantasy figure said) explodes in The Long Night, an 80-minute episode revolving almost entirely around the battle for Winterfell and for the dawn. Humanity is on the line and the enemy has an overwhelmingly impressive force, but our heroes have some aces up their sleeve as well.

Unfortunately, what is supposed to be Game of Thrones' most climactic and thrilling battle is let down on a number of fronts. The first is that the episode feels like it hasn't been colour-corrected properly. It's hard to make out what's going on, even on a properly-calibrated television. Game of Thrones has done night battles before - at the Blackwater in Season 2 and at the Wall in Season 4 - and it's always done a great job of keeping things clear and visible even in bad light. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy did the same thing at Helm's Deep. But in this case the action is often muddled and hard to parse. Things are better when the action switches inside - Arya stalking a bunch of wights in Winterfell's library may one of the show's best moments in terms of tension and stealth - but most of the exterior scenes are blighted by poor visibility.

It also doesn't help that it's very much a "TV battle" with very little thought made to genuine medieval battle tactics, hence the bemusing scenes of a light cavalry force (complete with specialised horse archers, who aren't used at all) being sent to directly attack a much larger and stronger infantry formation head-on, followed by powerful siege weapons being mounted outside defensive fortifications and in front of an infantry formation (instead of behind it). The siege weapons fire off two or three salvos and are then immediately disregarded and destroyed. Game of Thrones has done very well in portraying tactics before (particularly in Blackwater and Watchers on the Wall, still the shows' highwater marks in terms of battle episodes), but it's also done incredibly poorly, such as in Battle of the Bastards, and this episode is definitely on the latter side of the scale.

At 80 minutes, with a battle lasting almost twice the length of Helm's Deep, the episode outstays its welcome, with the scenes of people killing wights getting boring much earlier than that. Continuity is a problem as well, as on multiple occasions we see groups of characters being completely surrounded by insane odds, but after a camera cut we see the group is now standing in more open ground fighting off a few wights, who are politely lining up before attacking. The "unstoppable horde" of the wights feels somewhat contrived as a result.

The battle ends in exactly the manner you expect (even if the people delivering the killer blows to crucial enemies are not who you expect) with a far lower casualty count than you'd expect from such a hard-fought engagement. We don't need to see a bloodbath with 75% of the cast wiped out or anything, but it does feel like our heroes got off easily and won a stunning victory at relatively little cost (at least in terms of characters the audience is invested in, the actual body count seems immense).

Still, this opening trilogy does leave some interesting questions for the latter half of the season. The battle for the Iron Throne should be incredibly one-sided, as Team Daenerys/Jon have two dragons and Cersei's side have none, which raises the question of what curveballs can be thrown by the writers to make this final struggle more interesting. We will find out soon enough.


801: Winterfell (***�)
802: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (*****)
803: The Long Night (**�)

Narcos: Season 3

1993. Pablo Escobar is dead, leaving a vacuum for control of Colombia's lucrative drug supply market. The Cali Cartel has taken up the strain, making absurd sums of money, and its leaders know to live under the radar rather than attracting attention like the publicity-hungry Escobar. The Cartel's leader, Gilberto, proposes that the Cartel abandon the drug trade in six months to focus on legitimate business, to avoid Escobar's fate, leading to a race against time for DEA Agent Javier Pe�a as he tries to bring down the Cartel before its leaders can escape justice.

The third and final (in this incarnation) season of Narcos focuses on the fight between the Colombian authorities, "aided" by the American DEA, and the Cali Cartel in the early 1990s. This is a different kind of battle to the one fought against Escobar, which was bloody and merciless, with the Cali Cartel at least initially trying to fly under the radar and not carry out such huge acts of blood-letting. As events unfold, however, the various factions lose control of events and chaos returns to the streets of Colombia.

Boyd Holbrook's character of Steve Murphy has returned to the USA (perhaps thankfully; Holbrook was something of an anonymous link in an otherwise splendid cast), leaving the considerably more charismatic character of Pe�a (Pedro Pascal) to pick up the slack, which he does brilliantly. The voiceovers and semi-docudrama feel of the first two seasons has also been dialled back, with Pascal providing occasional context-setting voiceovers but not to the same degree as in previous seasons. This makes Narcos much more of a traditional drama, with a larger cast of characters and multiple storylines unfolding in different areas.

The result is a rich drama, packed with excellent performances (Matias Varela as tormented security chief Jorge Salcedo is particularly outstanding) and paced expertly, with less of the repetition of story beats that slowed the previous seasons. However, it does feel like some characters and subplots are less well-serviced, and none of the new antagonists can really match Wagner Moura's Escobar for charisma and presence. The storyline revolving around Maria Salazar doesn't feel like it really goes anywhere and it's odd that the show goes to the trouble of casting the legendary Edward James Olmos as Pe�a's father and then gives him almost nothing to do. Eric Lange's CIA agent character is also an annoying kind of reverse deus-ex-machina, constantly on hand to thwart the DEA's plans at the last minute because of some realpolitik motivation which usually doesn't make much sense. Of course, Narcos is a prisoner of the real historical events which sometimes don't obey the laws of drama.

Overall, the third season of Narcos (****) is a very watchable, compelling drama that is highly watchable and constantly fascinating, although it can't quite match the tension of the hunt for Escobar. It is available on Netflix now.

The Avengers: Endgame

The Infinity Stones have wreaked tremendous devastation across the universe, leaving the survivors reeling. The remaining Avengers and their allies from across the cosmos gather together on Earth for one last, possible plan to stop what has happened, at the risk of losing everything that survived.

Fifteen years ago, we experienced a genuine cinematic Moment when Peter Jackson delivered the thunderous conclusion to his Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. He wrapped up an emotional, impactful and epic story in a manner that was (mostly) successful and resulted in huge numbers of people visiting the cinema multiple times to see the conclusion to an entire multi-movie arc. I doubted we would see anything like it again, but a decade and a half later we are here with Endgame, a movie that tries something even more stupendous: paying off not just three but twenty-two movies that have been building things up and leading to this moment. The hype is crazy and if anything greater than that for The Return of the King (where you could go and read the story summary online from the book any time you wanted).

Endgame, surprisingly, delivers a nuanced and tight finale to the story that began in last year's Infinity War. Infinity War was epic and impressive, a stunning sequence of epic battles and quieter character moments that came together in several confrontations with Thanos, which Thanos won (although not without cost). Endgame picks up on the aftermath of that event with the surviving heroes regrouping, but they are caught up in grief and loss. Returning heroes Scott Lang and Hawkeye rejoin the team, whilst Rocket, Nebula and Captain Marvel join the Avengers to help resolve the crisis, but their early efforts have mixed results.

Endgame's generous three-hour running time allows directors the Russo Brothers (who can now write their own meal ticket and direct whatever film they want, ever) and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to have their cake and eat it, with huge, thunderous battle sequences and lots of quieter character beats. In fact, much of the first third of the film is taken up by people processing the events of the end of Infinity War, and how you move on when half of the people you've ever met are gone. The rest of the film is taken up by our heroes embarking on A Plan to save everyone, which near-instantly goes horrendously wrong and results in lots of the action, comedy and dramatic beats that you've come to expect from a Marvel movie, but more surprising is the amount of emotion on display. Character after character has to face up to their growth and what they've gone through to reach this point, and how they handle key moments that lead to victory, or in a few cases, their death.

Events culminate in a finale that is jaw-dropping in its scale and features some of the best, punch-the-air moments you've ever seen in a superhero movie, as well as moments of real reversals and pain. The directors walk a tightrope between being self-indulgent (the film may rival Return of the King for the number of endings it has, although I think it sells it much better) and too dark, and manages to chart a difficult course through that. It even manages to use Captain Marvel well, acknowledging her sheer power and her use as an asset against Thanos but not allowing her to dominate proceedings to the detriment of the characters we've spent eleven years with.

There's a lot of movie here and it's almost entirely brilliantly-handled. What's more surprising is the sheer degree of payoff we get in this film, and how many near-obscure characters from older movies suddenly and unexpectedly show up and play vital roles (bar one case where rather obviously the actor involved didn't want to return and they had to film around it using older footage, although it kind of works). Fans of the Marvel TV shows will also get one genuine moment of delight in a scene which seemingly officially canonises at least one of the Marvel TV shows as taking place in the Marvel cinematic universe after all. There's also the film's possibly most epic shot which was foreshadowed by a single moment (not even a scene) in an earlier movie from years ago which you could have missed by just looking at your phone for a second. Another major plot revelation hinges on a line of dialogue from another, even earlier movie which makes you suspect the Russo Brothers and Kevin Feige are genuine, outright geniuses.

Problems are mostly non-existent. This is a movie which, as I think everyone has guessed, does lean into a bit of time travel and as a result viewers can have exciting conversations over whether the story completely makes sense as a result (which Ant-Man and War Machine themselves get into a knot over at one point, trying to work out if the plot of the Back to the Future trilogy makes sense whilst Banner gets frustrated at them talking about movies rather than the science). Beyond that, for the first time, a Marvel movie hits every single beat it means to, with a fantastic villain, excellent characterisation and some titanic character payoffs, some you've been waiting a decade for. The only other criticism that could be made is that the film doesn't even remotely stand alone, at all, but then that's kind of the point of it. This is an ending to a very long chapter, and I can't even work out what happens next.

The Avengers: Endgame (*****) is long, but feels short when you watch it. Every character gets their moment in the sun, and the creators somehow make 21 previous movies worth of foreshadowing and backstory pay off in a real, meaningful way through a story that is by turns tragic, epic, moving, funny and action-packed.

Joss Whedon's THE NEVERS casts lead role

Joss Whedon has cast the lead role in his new television series, The Nevers.

Laura Donnelly will play the role of Amalia True, a hell-razing Victorian woman who refuses to confirm to stereotypes and ends up in charge of a group of women with unusual powers. Donnelly is best-known for playing the role of Janet Fraser Murray on Starz's Outlander, and has also appeared in Merlin, Beowulf and Britannia.

The Nevers marks Whedon's first foray into television since the first season of Agents of SHIELD in 2013, and his first original drama series since Dollhouse in 2009. Whedon will write and direct for the show, and will co-showrun alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer veteran Jane Espenson. Doug Petrie, also a veteran of Buffy, will also serve as writer and producer. Journalist Laurie Penny and playwright Madhuri Shekar will also act as writers on the series.

The Nevers will start shooting in June this year and run through to February 2020, shooting in and around London. It is expected to debut on HBO in late 2020.

Call of Duty 2019 PC Game Download Latest (Update)

Overview: Call of Duty 2019

It's taken us a time to get through this review but to be honest, we wanted to go through just as much of this game as possible in order to provide a fair review of everything that Call of Duty Dark Ops 2019 has to offer. So hit the jump and get into the entire inspection and determine what we think of the most recent entry into the Call of Duty franchise.

Let's get the important stuff out of the way first, Activision was nice enough to send us a review copy of Call of Duty Black Ops 2. And boy oh boy, are we grateful because this match has already taken over the vast majority of my Xbox time and has managed to knock of Borderlands 2 as my move to match right now. The game is the most recent addition to the Call of Duty franchise, and the latest from development team Treyarch.

The game carries hints from the last Black Ops and brings in to the year 2025 instead of focusing on past offenses, or"modern" wars such as other entries into the franchise. The initial thought of moving the show to the future put some question marks about this name - how could it work, what could they do, is that only a step towards the Terminator? Well, Treyarch jumped in full force with this game and made it honestly one of if not the best Call of Duty to date.

Initial Impressions:

Call of Duty Black Ops 2, takes everything that is adored in such matches and pushes them farther. The stream, the narrative, the challenges, everything only gets taken up a notch instead of resting on what's been done. The narrative absorbs you while you are playing, you're interested in the characters, and the storyline, you truly end up playing it fast enjoy a good book that you can't put down just so you can find out what about the narrative.

The online experience is everything we love about Call of Duty, the firearms, the activity, the intense struggles. It can easily be played in 20-minute breaks, or even for hours on end and you simply don't get enough of it. Should you happen to become tired of this multitude of game styles in standard online play, well it is possible to jump into Zombies for what's a completely different experience and game which provides hours more fun in a very different way.

Gameplay:

The gameplay is what we've come to expect in the Call of Duty franchise: that the single player is engaging and challenging, the multiplayer is hectic, fast paste and sucks you into, and yes there is zombies. It has everything that you know and love (or hate) about Call of Duty games and brings one thing that following the very first Black Ops felt sorely missing in Modern Warfare 2, diving.

The story mode assignments can seem familiar occasionally, but that is to be expected considering we've been playing Call of Duty games for a long time now. The narrative itself is what you're playing for now and this game does not let anyone down in that department, it is possibly the most comprehensive story up to now.

Pictures:

Even though there is nothing new running behind the scenes from Black Ops 2, Treyarch has done a lot to polish the look of the game. The character models are improved and the levels are more inviting. You truly need to be able to go off the path in these levels and explore more. The firearms are more polished and there are now skins which you can equip your firearms with to get a marginally"customized" texture, which will be a great improvement but nothing over the top.

The graphics improvements aren't only in one player mode, you notice the improvements in the multiplayer too. The character models are different depending on your weapon choices and factions obviously. The gun models are improved and look different based on the attachments you equip, which is not anything new, but they seem better and smoother.

Treyarch has done a fantastic job of reaching into the future in a way that frees you inside, instead of merely throwing you inside. You're drawn into the storyline, the characters pull you in and make you want to play through another mission so that you can understand more about what it is that got us here.

The campaign plays similarly to other Call of Duty games, together with jumps between phases and events. You play through learning different points of this story through every assignment and limiting different challenges and enemies. An interesting twist involving this game and previous installations is period; the match is set in the future but the events which put everything in motion occurred previously. This means that you play through distinct functions at various times utilizing different weapons and play types. It certainly adds to the gameplay since in"future" missions you have better technologies and equipment available so that you can play differently in these missions.

During your drama through you still have to locate"intel" and perform little challenges that don't necessarily alter the outcome of the sport, but you get more points for finishing them all and you can compare your drama via score against your friends to find out who did the very best. It is nice that Treyarch included a stats screen so that you can examine that and see how many bits of"intel" you missed or other elements that it is possible to attempt to achieve during future playthroughs to get more points, but in all honesty this is just for completionists out there and does not really change your sport.

Multiplayer:

Call of Duty multiplayer is either loved or hated by players, and sometimes hated by the people who love it. It seems like coming home, however, enjoy coming home after someone has actually done some improvements around the place. The game is faster than previously and that which feels better than it did in previous entries.

You have your normal game styles, both core, and hardcore. There is also league play now, which will be an extra advantage for having bought the season. You've got your standard games, demolition, capture the flag, deathmatch, there are also the individual modes such as a gun game, one in the chamber and sticks and stones. There is a little something for everyone: whether you desire larger scale battles or fast frenzied free-for-all, you can find what you're searching for.

Right now, the servers still appear to be fighting to keep up, if you are at a larger party it is possible to get dropped or lose your celebration. You also have instances where you wait about for a reception to fill up, or you crash from a game. You also need to deal with the host migration during games that could get annoying, but it is to be expected with the influx of gamers hammering on the game day in and day out.

The only thing this is missing is bigger area maps. Everything is tight and restricted, every map has the normally annoying corners to camp, and you will find snare corridors where you're never going to get through living. There isn't really any way to"snipe" because there are several cramped areas so you better be prepared to run and gun. Hopefully this will be resolved with prospective maps, however, at launch, get ready for close up fighting.

Among the major selling points of Black Ops 2 has been the recurrence of Zombies and it does not let us down. Initially, there was some concern (at least from me) this would be a lighter version of Left 4 Dead, however, it is not, it is a completely different experience. The zombies get tougher with each wave, and if you do not work with your group you are certainly not likely to survive. There is also currently the zombie bus, so it protects you out of the area to area with at the map to start different guns. If you're not on the bus once it leaves the town, well you're in for hard times as your teammates probably aren't stuck with you.

The weaker side of zombies even with the newest introductions is the zombies come in reliable places, and you may do the typical circle kill routine to stand up a lot of points. It may become really repetitive and shed its appeal especially once you have people in the sport who are just performing the circle kill stage grab. The best choice is to play with friends and also make it an enjoyable sifting through zombie mayhem and also make it a close game so you don't need to deal with down this side.

This little drawback does not take away from the fun of Zombies, but it does make you long for the challenge and gameplay of Left 4 Dead, but one game can't be everything is it?

Summary:

All in all, this is the best edition of Call of Duty so far and makes you remember why you enjoy this franchise. There are games out there that appeal to several kinds of gameplay and players, yet this game reminds you why Call of Duty would be the king of them all. The story is the most evolved, the mechanisms are the most tasteful, and also the game itself makes you wonder whether there is anywhere that this franchise may go without new hardware for the programmers to push.

Buy, and get the season pass too!

Thanks again to Activision for sending us a review copy, we are still enjoying it!

Call of Duty Download Setup.exe

1stBrowser Download Latest Version 2019 (Update)

In fact, it has in fact been developed about Chromium, the same open-source code since Google Chrome, and consequently 1stBrowser provides a recognizable interface where to start your browsing. This might not suffice to lure you, however, it will supply some additional extras to increase your browsing experience.

To get a start 1stBrowser 2019 enables you to individualize it to suit your particular design. You can alter your theme and pick your emblem. There are also some helpful tools to experiment with too. 1stBrowser permits you save your favorite audio or movie files into your internet browser is only a click. There's additionally a beneficial image device which lets you change photographs, use filters in addition to place all of them from directly inside the online browser.

Trick Showcases Include Personalized Wallpapers along with Icons. Completely flexible browser, with countless icons in addition to vibrant designs for you to pick from. Easy availability of faves. Delight in rather simple and incredibly speedy access to your checked out sites employing a drop-down menu exhibited with symbols in addition to listings that are popular.

Quick in addition to secure. Surf the internet safely without interruptions in addition to threats. Your information is secure with 1stBrowser. 1stBrowser 2019 was hailed as the sole web browser to incorporate modification attributes with media management programs. Not only can you fully personalize your browser, but however there are also plenty of wonderful purposes for keeping and sharing movie clips, editing pictures in addition to keeping tabs on your preferred social networks sites. 

Overall, 1stBrowser 2019 is an excellent all-round browser. It's a recognizable interface along with some really helpful devices, like the photo apparatus, which is actually helpful. For all those customers that prefer to alter points, the online browser is similarly incredibly quite simple to customize. There's a drawback, however. There are a number of Chrome extensions which aren't appropriate, which alone may put off some users.

Important Information Of Software

Manufacturer:	SEIN
License:	Freeware
Operating System:	Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10
Size:	2 MB
Updated Date:	April 12, 2019

1stBrowser Download Setup.exe

Mad Max PC Game Download Full Version

Produced by Avalanche Studios and released by Warner Bros. Feral feature published the match's macOS and Linux variants. In the game, players command Max Rockatansky because he advances through the wasteland constructing a car, the"Magnum Opus", to do battle with a bunch of raiders, headed by Scabrous Scrotus, and also to get to the storied"Plains of Silence", where he expects to find peace. Mad Max emphasizes vehicular combat, where players may utilize weapon and armor upgrades on their automobile to resist enemies. It's set within an open postsecondary wasteland composed of deserts, canyons, and caves.

Two other Mad Max Game matches, developed by Cory Barlog and Interplay Entertainment respectively, have been in production before the announcement of the game, but neither of these was successfully published. Though Mad Max isn't dependent on the movie series, it had been motivated by its world, and franchise founder George Miller was consulted throughout the match's pre-production. Avalanche Studios found creating a vehicular-combat video game a struggle due to their inexperience with producing that sort of game. Announced in the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the game has been re-tooled during evolution and also the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were all canceled.

Originally intended for launch in 2014, it premiered in September the next year, a few months after the theatrical release of Mad Max Game: Fury Road, the fourth movie in the collection. Mad Max received complete mixed reviews from critics. Even though the game's surroundings, leadership, vehicular combat, and images were praised, its own pursuit design and narrative were criticized. The sport turned into the eighth bestselling retail sport in America in September 2015.

PC Hardware and OS Details:-

• PC CPU: Pentium 3 -- Pentium 4 -- Double Core -- center Duo -- Core i5
• RAM: 512 MB
• Hard Disc Space: 3 Gb
• Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce or AMD Radeon HD series. 
• VGA Memory: 256 MB
• Network Link: High-Speed net or DSL for Multiplayer Gaming. 
• Optical Drive Player -- DVD or CD-ROM.

Game Information & Information:-

• Game Size: Na
• Game Edition: 2015
• License: Premium
• OS / Console Platform : Windows -- Play Station 4
• Developer information: Avalanche Studios

Mad Max (2015 video game) Download

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 Latest Version Download

Users using the complete range of Microsoft Office 2019 in the home or at the workplace are advised with all the Professional Plus Edition. Together with the huge range of unique apps, the Professional Plus version is aimed mostly at people working in a home in their home office or that are searching for a strong, dependable solution in a little office for organizing files, tables & co.

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All orders have been processed and assessed manually for quality management and fraud prevention.

Users using the complete range of Microsoft Office in the home or at the workplace are advised with all the Professional Plus Edition. OneNote is currently also available for download through the Windows Store for fast producing notes and making them accessible on all apparatus through the cloud. Together with the huge range of unique apps, the Professional Plus version is aimed mostly at people working in a home in their home office or that are searching for a strong, dependable solution in a little office for organizing files, tables & co.

MS Word 2019 is the most effective tool for generating files. From regular"paperwork" to official business records, the performance of Word covers the whole assortment of text production. Also new in this edition is that the enhanced virtual ink recognition, meaning that writing using a pencil right on the screen is currently better translated into published typewriting. Microsoft has also made many detailed developments: SVG images, for instance, enable even intricate image files to be incorporated without needing a great deal of memory. The scaling and other steps for image processing are also effective in this aspect.

For businesses, accessibility 2019 provides a highly effective solution for producing and handling all kinds of databases. The newest version supports the creation of database software that operates right in the browser and is therefore especially slender. Publisher 2019 enhances the chances for publishing images of any sort: for demonstrations, advertisements, flyers, magazines & co. Microsoft has significantly enhanced both apps from Office 2019 Professional Plus to expand pencil recognition in Publisher and quicken collaboration with coworkers on databases in Access.

When dealing with spreadsheets, Excel 2019 proceeds to offer you the best attributes: In this variant, Excel provides tables of all types from bookkeeping and product databases to entrances for taxation returns & co. within a much greater way. Among other items, fresh representations of visual information have already been added, and much more mathematical functions are incorporated by default. What's the outstanding compatibility using CSV files. In the same way, PowerPoint 2019 currently gives the choice to incorporate Ultra-HD recordings into presentations and to freely scale images and zoom in and out of pictures. This makes it much easier to dispense with external picture processing.

Outlook 2019 has been grant access to all saved contacts and email addresses. Notably, in offices in connection with an Exchange server, this offers an excellent chance for keeping information about clients and partners current. Additionally, the program supports the production of any number of email accounts, which frees users with a high number of accounts. Across all applications, Office 2019 Professional Plus provides the tried-and-tested interface that's been incorporated into each program for at least a decade. The workflow consequently goes across every program and is extremely similar everywhere -- if in Word, Excel, Outlook or PowerPoint.

Microsoft restricts the usage of Office 2019 Professional Plus into Windows 10 and Windows 10S. It follows that none of those included apps is compatible with the old variant of Windows. In addition, this assortment of apps is a permit which belongs completely to the purchaser. It may be utilized after the period of purchase for a while, without additional subscriptions. Microsoft guarantees all variants of Office 2019 will be encouraged for five or more years on all device types.

Software Information:

Manufacturer:	Microsoft
License:	�79.99    �149.99
Operating System:	Windows XP / Vista / 7/8/10
Size:	-------
Updated Date:	April 08, 2019

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 Download Link