Gareth Evan's "The Raid" Gets the Comic Book Treatment

TITAN ANNOUNCES THE CREATIVE TEAM ON THE RAID COMICS

An all-new comic series based on the popular martial-arts blockbuster, written by Ollie Masters and Alex Paknadel

Titan Comics are thrilled to announce that writers Ollie Masters (The Kitchen) and Alex Paknadel (Assassin’s Creed: Uprising) are teaming up with artists Budi Setiawan (Rex Royd, Savage Dragon) and Brad Simpson (Wolfenstein) to helm a brand-new story from the world of martial arts movie masterpiece, The Raid!

Punching and kicking its way into stores in August 2018 with Issue #1, Titan Comics’ new four-part series brings the bone-crunching cinematic martial arts action to the bloodied page. Readers are invited to go beyond the movie to discover the shocking story behind fan-favorite characters, Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man.

Premiering in 2011, Indonesian martial-arts movie The Raid (also known as The Raid: Redemption) sent pulses racing at the Toronto International Film Festival and secured unanimous critical praise, rocketing to cult film status across the globe.

The movie captured audiences with its boundary-pushing, inventive choreography and piston-pumping narrative when a lone, isolated SWAT team are trapped by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs inside a tenement block, and they have to fight their way to the top.

Directed by Gareth Evans and produced by PT. Merantau Films and XYZ Films, the high-octane franchise has garnered great success since its release. The first film had 10 nominations at the 2012 Maya Awards, and was followed, in 2014 by The Raid 2, which featured the character of Rama returning to battle against corruption in his own police force.

Titan’s new comic series, overseen by series creator Gareth Evans, is a perfect companion to the upcoming American reimagining of The Raid mythos, which is being brought to life by renowned director Joe Carnahan.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 20th to 26th, 2018 - Update #21

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MOVIES - From TheNewYorker:  How Superheroes Made Movie Stars Expendable

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MOVIES - From YahooGMA:  Film critic Peter Travers lists 17 summers movies to get to know.

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SCANDAL - From YahooGMA:  The guy who says that "Star Trek" actor, George Takei, groped/molested him is still peddling his story.

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BOND - From BleedingCool:  Universal Pictures has won the bidding war for the distribution rights to the 25th James Bond film, which will star Daniel Craig and be directed by Danny Boyle.

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SCANDAL - From CNN:  Several women are accusing Oscar-winning actor, Morgan Freeman, of inappropriate behavior and harassment.

From TheWrap:  Harvey Weinstein to Surrender to New York Authorities Following Sexual Misconduct Probe

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Regina King, Tim Blake Nelson, and Don Johnson join HBO's "Watchmen" pilot which is being overseen by Damon Lindelof.

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SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Moses Farrow, son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, says that Woody Allen never molested his sister, Dylan Farrow, as his mother Mia and Dylan have claimed for 25 years.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Liam Neeson joins Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in the "Men in Black" spinoff.

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CELEBRITY - From TheRinger:  The Baffling Return of Mike Myers.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooEntertainment:  What was the cost of Brad Pitt's split-second cameo in "Deadpool 2."

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Anjelica Huston is among the actors joining "John Wick: Chapter 3."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment: Legendary martial arts actor, Jet Li, is reportedly having serious health issues.

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STREAMING - From ShadowandAct:  Ava DuVernay will executive produce a TV series about Amazon queens, entitled "The Last Amazon."

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OBAMAS - From ShadowandAct:  Netflix has officially announced a huge production deal with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 5/18 to 5/20/2018 weekend box office is "Deadpool 2" with an estimated take of $125 million.

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ECO - From Earther:  Lawns Are an Ecological Disaster

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STREAMING - From Nerdist:  Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" TV series will follow a young Aragorn.  Adult Aragorn was played by Viggo Mortensen in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" film series.

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CANNES - From Deadline:  "Shoplifters," a film by Japanese director, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, has won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.  Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman" won the "Grand Prize."

OBITS:

From TheNewYorker:  American author Philip Roth has died at the age of 85, Tuesday, May 22, 2018.  He won the "Pulitzer Prize for Fiction" in 1998 for his novel, "American Pastoral."  Several of his works were adapted into film, including the novel, "The Human Stain."

From THR:  Movie poster artist-designer, Bill Gold, has died at the age of 97, Sunday, May 20, 2018.  Considered to have revolutionized the movie poster, Gold produced posters for film such as "Casablanca," "The Exorcist," and "A Clockwork Orange."  Gold produced dozens of posters for Clint Eastwood films, including "Dirty Harry" (1971), "Unforgiven" (1992), and "J. Edgar" (2011).

From ESPN:  Noted college football player, Billy Cannon, has died at the age of 80, Sunday, May 20, 2018.  Cannon played collegiate football for Louisiana State University, where he won a national title in 1958 and the Heisman Trophy in 1959.

From BRAdvocate:  A image gallery look-back at Billy Cannon.

VIZ Media Announces "Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits" for Fall 2018

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE SUPERNATURAL ROMANTIC COMEDY KAKURIYO: BED & BREAKFAST FOR SPIRITS

A Girl Strikes An Unconventional Bargain With The Spirit World To Pay Off Her Debts In New Shojo Series

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, expands its shojo manga catalog with the acquisition of KAKURIYO: BED & BREAKFAST FOR SPIRITS.

The supernatural romantic comedy will launch this Fall in print and digital editions under VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat imprint. The series is rated ‘T’ for Teens and features story and artwork by creator Wako Ioka, with character designs by Laruha. KAKURIYO: BED & BREAKFAST FOR SPIRITS is based on several light novels by author Midori Yuma and has also been adapted into an anime series. The new publishing acquisition was detailed during VIZ Media’s official panel held this past weekend during Anime Central 2018 in Chicago.

In KAKURIYO: BED & BREAKFAST FOR SPIRITS, Aoi Tsubasa inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits – and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed or get eaten by the supernatural creatures who work there. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms!

For additional information on KAKURIYO: BED & BREAKFAST FOR SPIRITS and other manga titles published by VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular digital magazine WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan's largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at viz.com.

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Producer Jennifer Todd Signs First-Look Deal with Amblin Partners

Amblin Partners Announces First-Look Deal with Veteran Producer Jennifer Todd

The “Alice In Wonderland” Producer Will Have an Exclusive Production Deal with the Company

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amblin Partners announced today that it has closed an exclusive first-look deal with acclaimed film and television producer Jennifer Todd and her company, Jennifer Todd Pictures. The two-year production deal will cover film projects under the company’s Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures banners.

Todd has been a film and television producer for over 20 years with credits that include Alice In Wonderland, its sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, Memento, and the Austin Powers franchise. She is also an Executive Producer on Showtime’s new series City on A Hill, starring Kevin Bacon. In 2017 and 2018, Todd produced the 89th and 90th Annual Academy Awards with Michael DeLuca for ABC starring Jimmy Kimmel, making her only the third female producer in the history of the Oscars to produce the show.

“We are delighted to welcome Jennifer to the Amblin family,” said Holly Bario, President of Production, and Jeb Brody, Co-President of Production. “She is a terrific producer whose creative instincts for compelling, crowd-pleasing stories perfectly complement the quality entertainment we’re making here.”

“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to make films at Amblin Partners and feel very fortunate to work with their extraordinary team,” said Todd.

Most recently, Todd served as the President of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company, Pearl Street Films. While there, she produced Live by Night for Warner Bros., and executive produced Jason Bourne for Universal.

Todd has won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Picture (Memento), Women in Film’s Lucy Award (If These Walls Could Talk II), The GLAAD Media Award (If These Walls Could Talk II), and a People’s Choice Award (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me). She has been nominated for two Emmys (89th Annual Academy Awards, If These Walls Could Talk II), two Golden Globes (Alice In Wonderland, Across the Universe), and the PGA David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Longform Television (If These Walls Could Talk II).

About Amblin Partners
Amblin Partners is a content creation company, led by Steven Spielberg, that develops and produces films using the Amblin, DreamWorks and Participant Media Banners and includes Amblin TV, a longtime leader in quality programming. The company’s investment partners include: Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment, Entertainment One (eOne), Alibaba Pictures and Universal Pictures.

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"The Fall of the American Empire" Goes to Sony Pictures Classics

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES DENYS ARCAND'S THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

NEW YORK – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all rights in the US, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand to Academy Award® winner Denys Arcand's THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE. The film, a follow up to his critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated The Decline of the American Empire, is written and directed by Arcand and produced by Academy Award® winner Denise Robert.

Thirty years after THE DECLINE, THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE explores the predominance of capitalism in a society where all other values seem to have crumbled. Pierre-Paul Daoust, 36, an intellectual with a PhD in philosophy is forced to work as a deliveryman to afford a decent living. One day, while delivering a parcel, he gets caught in a hold up gone terribly wrong: two dead and millions in money bags laying on the ground. Pierre-Paul is confronted with a dilemma: leave empty handed, or take the money and run?

Alexandre Landry (GABRIELLE) stars as Pierre-Paul Daoust with newcomer Maripier Morin, Louis Morissette (THE MIRAGE), Maxim Roy (LOOK AGAIN), Pierre Curzi (THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS), Vincent Leclerc (THE REVENANT), Patrick Émmanuel Abellard, Florence Longpré (THREESOME), Eddy King and Rémy Girard (THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS).

The film reunites Arcand with Michael Barker and Tom Bernard after previously working together on Sony Pictures Classics' LOVE AND HUMAN REMAINS and Orion Classics' JESUS OF MONTREAL. Arcand was awarded the Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film for THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS.

"I am truly excited to come back to Sony Pictures Classics and to be reunited with Michael Barker and Tom Bernard. They are the best in the business, and they know perfectly well what kind of audiences are going to be touched by this film. I made this film in a spirit of absolute freedom and they certainly are the best people to take care of it," said Denys Arcand.

Said Sony Pictures Classics, "Denys Arcand is back with a satirical spirit as biting and as perceptive and as entertaining as he has ever been! It's great to be back with him and bring his new robust work to the American audience."

The deal was negotiated by Anick Poirier from Seville International, an eOne company, and Denise Robert from Cinemaginaire.


ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992, which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world. Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 39 Academy Awards® (35 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 169 Academy Award® nominations (143 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., which is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE's Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.

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BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for May 23, 2018

BOOM! STUDIOS

MAR181251    ADVENTURE TIME BEGINNING OF END #1    $3.99
MAR181252    ADVENTURE TIME BEGINNING OF END #1 SUBSCRIPTION DAGUNA VAR (    $3.99
MAR181279    BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #9    $3.99
MAR181280    BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA OLD MAN JACK #9 SUBSCRIPTION ACT    $3.99
MAR181255    LUMBERJANES #50    $4.99
MAR181257    LUMBERJANES #50 CONNECTING FISH VAR    $4.99
MAR181256    LUMBERJANES #50 SUBSCRIPTION FISH VAR    $4.99
JAN181365    MISFIT CITY TP VOL 02    $14.99
JAN181333    MOUSE GUARD HC VOL 03 BLACK AXE B&W ED    $99.99
MAR181307    RUGRATS #8    $3.99
MAR181308    RUGRATS #8 SUBSCRIPTION BRUNI VAR    $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 23, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAR180028    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #2 MAIN CVR    $3.99
MAR180029    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #2 VAR LEMIRE CVR    $3.99
MAR180095    BTVS SEASON 11 GILES #4 (OF 4) MAIN CVR    $3.99
MAR180096    BTVS SEASON 11 GILES #4 (OF 4) VAR JOVELLANOS CVR    $3.99
NOV170051    HALO RISE OF ATRIOX HC    $19.99
MAR180042    INCOGNEGRO RENAISSANCE #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
JAN180109    JOE GOLEM OCCULT DETECTIVE HC VOL 02 OUTER DARK    $24.99
MAR180086    WITCHFINDER GATES OF HEAVEN #1 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99