It's rare thing to come across a first sketch of a popular superhero, but here we have H.G. Peter's first sketch for William Marston's (then) new female superhero Wonder Woman. The drawing is up for auction, and it gives us a glimpse at the history of one of the most iconic female superheroes ever created.

The writing on the art are comments from both Peter and Marston about the design which was created in 1941. Peter's note says:

Dear Dr. Marston, I slapped these two out in a hurry. The eagle is tough to handle – when in perspective or in profile, he doesn’t show up clearly — the shoes look like a stenographer’s. I think the idea might be incorporated as a sort of Roman contraption. -Peter

This is Marston's feedback:

Dear Pete – I think the gal with hand up is very cute. I like her skirt, legs, hair. Bracelets okay + boots. These probably will work out. See other suggestions enclosed. No on these + stripes – red + white. With eagle’s wings above or below breasts as per enclosed? Leave it to you. Don’t we have to put a red stripe around her waist as belt? I thought Gaines wanted it – don’t remember. Circlet will have to go higher – more like crown – see suggestions enclosed. See you Wednesday morning – WMM.

Wonder Woman made her debut in December 1942's All Star Comics #8, and the initial design isn't too far off from the final costume — I included an image from the comic below. The piece is being auctioned on Comic Link and the price is undisclosed. You can find more information about it on their website.

Via: Bleeding Cool

Art by Michael Whelan 

I feared that the big screen adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower book series had died. Thankfully, it's alive and well! Deadline is reporting that the first installment of the film franchise has found its funding with a team up between Sony Pictures and MRC. 

This will be the first of several planned films that Sony will distribute, and the complementary TV series that will bridge the gap between the films is also still in play and being developed by MRC.

The most recent version of the script was written by Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner, and it is based on the first book in the series, The Gunslinger. The horror/fantasy film will center on the relationship between Roland and Jake. This is apparently a totally reconceived version of the script from when the project was set up at Universal Pictures. 

Imagine Entertainment’s Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Erica Huggins are producing. There's no word on if Howard is still attached to direct, but the report says that Sony and MRC are on the hunt for filmmakers to take on the project now. King had this to say in a statement:

“I’m excited that The Dark Tower is finally going to appear on the screen. Those who have traveled with Roland and his friends in their search for the Dark Tower are going to have their long-held hopes fully realized. This is a brilliant and creative approach to my books.”

Sony Picture Motion Picture Group chairman Tom Rothman added:

“There are few projects out there that compare with the scope, vision, complex characters and fully drawn world that Stephen King has created with The Dark Tower. I am a giant fan. And, as Stephen himself does, we love the direction that Akiva and Jeff have taken. This is a great opportunity for a director to put his or her stamp on a cool global franchise.”

Over the years, Javier Bardem, Russell Crowe, and Aaron Paul have all been linked to the film. I imagine that's no longer the case. I'm just ecstatic the the movie is finally actually going to move forward! It's about damn time. 

I love watching movies in 3D, especially when the technique is done well. While there have been 3D releases of the Star Wars prequels films, we haven't yet been able to watch the original trilogy in 3D, which is the one fans want. While it's something that has been heavily hinted at, in development, canceled, and back again, we still don't have them. Until then, there is a dimensionalized Star Wars: A New Hope poster that adds depth to a classic poster. Available at Red5.co.uk for about $20 (plus shipping from the UK) the poster is roughly 11.5" x 9.5" x 1.5" — yup it's got real depth.

Warner Bros. wants James Wan to direct their Aquaman movie, and if that happens, we should prepare ourselves for something amazing. I'm a huge fan of Wan, who has directed film such as Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, and most recently Furious 7. The studio would be extremely lucky to get a guy like this on board. 

The news comes from THR, but no offer has been extended to Wan at this point. He is the studio's top choice, and there have only been some preliminary talks. Zack Snyder is the guy who is building the DC cinematic universe, and Wan's inclusion in the team would only strengthen it. The guy is an incredible director who has a knack for telling great stories and developing solid characters. 

Jason Momoa is already attached to star as the aquatic superhero, and he will make his first on-screen appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He will also be included in the two-part Justice League movies. The Aquaman solo film is currently being developed on two tracks, with screenwriters Will Beall and Kurt Johnstad writing separate scripts for the movie.

It will be interesting to see if Wan takes the gig if it's offered to him. I'm sure Universal Pictures will want him to come back for the next Fast & Furious film. He's also prepping to shoot The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist, which goes into production this fall. If the filmmaker can find the time to direct Aquaman, I hope he does. 

Yesterday, word got out that Guillermo del Toro was in talks with Ryan Gosling to join Disney's Haunted Mansion movie. It is said that the movie will have a main focus on a the Hatbox Ghost, which has become a legend at the theme park. 

The ghostly apparition appeared on the Haunted Mansion attraction on opening day, but then mysteriously disappeared shortly after. There's a rumor that the reason it was removed was because it was too scary, but that's not the reason at all. They just couldn't get the damn thing to work properly. The character is described as “an elderly ghost in a cloak and top hat, leaning on a cane with a wavering hand and clutching a hatbox in the other.” There was an effect they tried to pull off in which his head disappear and then reappear inside the hatbox he was holding. 

For all of you Disneyland fans out there, you'll be happy to hear that Disney has confirmed that they will be bring the Hatbox Ghost back to his home starting in May. The image above is a promotional image that they released.

Here's a little history on why the Hatbox Ghost was removed:

The Hatbox Ghost was installed inside The Haunted Mansion and in place for cast member (park employee) previews on the nights of August 7 and 8, 1969. Almost immediately, it became apparent that the effect had failed, as ambient light in the attraction’s attic scene prevented the specter’s face from disappearing fully, despite the turning off of its designated spotlight. Attempts were made to remedy technical problems, but the effect wasn’t convincing enough, and the ghost was decommissioned after a few months. … While it is unknown what became of The Hatbox Ghost, there are speculations as to his fate. … Because the Hatbox Ghost featured prominently in artwork and narration for popular Haunted Mansion record albums sold for many years at Disney parks, and because Disney continues to market the ghost’s image, he has never been forgotten and has become somewhat of a legend, complete with cult following. Many fans of the ride wish to see him returned and have gone so far as to circulate petitions calling for the figure’s restoration.

The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides at Disneyland, and it will be cool to see the Hatbox Ghost reappear. 

Warner Brothers and LEGO officially threw their hat into the “toys come to life” arena yesterday by announcing LEGO Dimensions. But before you dismiss the game as a cash grab, let's take a look at what it has to offer — oh, and do yourself a favor and watch the announce trailer, because it's all kinds of wonderful.

Dimensions will launch with a starter kit, which will include the game, the LEGO Gateway (the base), three Minifigures (Gandalf, Batman, and Wyldstyle), and a vehicle (the Batmobile). All of that will be $99.99. I'm not going to lie, that is pretty steep seeing as Disney Infinity, even when it debuted, was priced at around $75, as is the case with the newest version of Skylanders (Trap Team). Warner Bros., LEGO, and Traveller's Tales are betting on LEGO’s iconic brand along with its impressive array of licensed universes to drive purchases, but that $99.99 price point is still a bit off-putting.

Side Note: Where Are The Amiibos?

While Amiibos are insanely popular, their contribution to the few games they work with is rather slim, and I tend to see them as more of a cool collectible than anything else. There is a wide range of views on them as a whole, but ultimately I don’t view them as direct competition to Dimensions, Infinity, or Skylanders — hence why they are not included in this discussion.

So, what does Dimensions offer that the other franchises don’t?  Well, let's compare and contrast. Here is what they had to say about shelf life (via Facebook).

THE STARTER PACK WILL LAST. The LEGO Toy Pad and the videogame found in the initial Starter Pack will offer continued compatibility with future Expansion Packs for years to come. Like any LEGO building set, LEGO Dimensions is a system of play that offers continued compatibility – everything bought today or expanded with tomorrow will continue to work.

Pretty strong promise, and a direct counterpoint to Skylanders constant mandatory upgrades between installments. Sure, figures work on the new portal, but you have to buy a new portal every time. Disney Infinity has avoided some of that, but when 2.0 came out, people still had to rebuy some things depending on what configuration they owned. If they can stick to this proclamation, it's a definite feather in their cap.

LEGO also happens to have a bevy of licenses at its disposal, hence their 2015 lineup looking so strong and diverse. There will be 3 different types of packs (Level, Team, and Fun) that include franchises like Back to the Future, DC Comics, Wizard of Oz, Ninjago, The LEGO Movie, and The Lord of the Rings. Aiming for Disney Infinities mix and match nerd nirvana system, they bring some fantastic combinations to the party, and that is only some of  the licenses they hold (or at one point held). They should have a strong 2016 with possible additions such as TMNT, LEGO Castle, Harry Potter, Bionicle, LEGO Pirates, Jurassic World, and maybe even The Golden Girls. Heck, if Hell freezes over, Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney. Regardless of whether Disney plays ball or not, the variety at their disposal, even without them,  is top notch and runs a very wide gamut for fans of all different kinds.

According to their Facebook and Amazon listing, the Gateway can hold a mix of up to 7 figures, vehicles, or gadgets at any one time. That’s definitely a step up from just 2 Skylanders, or 2 Infinity figures and 1 playset. The only downside is that, in the end, the figures are just spiffier versions of LEGO figures that you can go buy in a box set right now, and for much cheaper than a cool hundred dollar bill. Compared to Activision and Disney’s offerings, the toys themselves just aren’t as impressive.

Last but not least, we have the gameplay, which they only show a small glimpse of during the trailer, but since it's Traveller's Tales at the helm here, you pretty much know what to expect. I’m still waiting on a game to give me both a strong co-op campaign, ala Skylanders, with the boundless creativity of Disney Infinity’s Toybox mode. Dimensions looks to lean towards the campaign side of things, but who knows, maybe they will expand into Toybox territory and it will be the best of both worlds. Either way, even with a crowded market, there is a great deal to like here, and I’m interested to see more. What say you, though? Let us know in the comments.

PBS has released a new episode of their Space Time web-series, and in it host Gabe Perez-Giz explains how the weight of a fart can be calculated. I never thought I'd see anything like this from PBS, but that's what this web-series is for! He walks us through the math, physics, and science behind farts and explains how to measure them.

Perez-Giz researched a paper that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It measured the gas makeup of ten people’s farts and the ideal gas law to find a workable average fart composition.

Isn't science wonderful?! 

Actress Sofia Boutella has joined the cast of Star Trek 3 in a lead role. You might recognize her as Samuel L. Jackson's right hand badass from Kingsman: The Secret Service. The news comes from Deadline, and we don't really know anything other than that. So she could either be a hero or a villain in the story. 

Simon Pegg and Doug Jung are currently working on the script for the film, which is set to be directed by Justin Lin. Paramount will release Star Trek 3 on July 8th, 2016. We'll keep you updated on any other details as they become available. 

Here's a featurette for Kingsman: The Secret Service that introduces you to the actress and the deadly character she played in it. 

I'm currently in the middle of watching Marvel's Daredevil series, and so far the show has been incredibly badass! The fight sequences in this thing are brutal and insane. One of them might just be one of the most hardcore fight scenes I've ever seen. It's the one at the end of episode two, so if you've seen it, then you know what I'm talking about. 

Artist Orlando Arocena created a couple new pieces of vector art that pays homage to the hero of Hell's Kitchen. Arocena's has created some great art, and you can see some of them at the following links: STAR WARS Vector Art Print - "The Mandalorian", CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Vector Art, G.I. JOE Vector Fan Art, and Batman Vector Art. 

The sci-fi, horror, and fantasy genre film festival FilmQuest has been listed by MovieMaker Magazine in its "Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee." Many of the short films we've posted on GeekTyrant have often won several awards by the time we've found them, so even as interconnected as the web is getting, exposure at a film festival is a great way to bring attention to your project. It's also an opportunity to network with fellow filmmakers and maybe even find a producer for your next project. With so many festivals out there, MovieMaker curates a list each year of the festivals worth your time and likely limited promotional budget.

FilmQuest getting listed in only its second year is a pretty big deal, and we couldn't be more excited for our partners. If you have a sci-fi, horror, or fantasy genre short/feature length film that you are ready to promote Click Here.

Here’s a slick looking series of superhero character art featuring several of our favorite kick-ass female comic book characters. The portraits created by artist Karl Liversidge a.k.a. SourAcid have a stylish and cool vibe. 

Just a couple weeks ago we posted news that Matt Smith might be the lead star in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Two new reports, via Variety and The Wrap, say that recent Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne is Warner Bros.' frontrunner for the  starring role of Newt Scamander. Because the film will be at least a trilogy and maybe more, any actor who commits to the role could have the next 6-8 years mostly locked up.

Variety and The Wrap also say that Nicholas Hoult is in contention. Neither report mentions Smith at all, which leads me to believe he's not on the studio's short list. While my favorite of the three is Smith, Redmayne is undoubtedly a talented and charismatic actor.

My Doctor Who fandom is limited to the "New-Who" run started in 2005. While I have somewhat limited knowledge of the character of K-9, an intelligent robotic talking dog should be cool even to the non-Whovian. You can now take K-9 home with you and control him via your iOS or Android device. I haven't been able to find any details on his dimensions but he does feature a motorized base, moving ears, lit keypad, light up eye, and extending probe. K-9 seems to only be available via Amazon UK.

H/T: Geek x Girls

Disney has cast Sir Ian McKellen in the role of Cogsworth in director Bill Condon's live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast! As you know, McKellen is an incredible actor, and I'm kind of surprised that they got him to be in this movie. I wasn't expecting this kind of epic casting, but he's going to be perfect. 

The casting for Beauty and the Beast has surpassed my expectations. McKellen joins the following talented individuals in the feature: Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast/Prince, Luke Evans as the villain Gaston, and Josh Gad as Gaston's goofy sidekick Le Fou. 

McKellen has starred in a ton of movies during his career, but he's best known for playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies as well as the villainous mutant Magneto in the X-Men movies.

Source: THR

The classic 1977 psychedelic Italian horror film Suspiria will be adapted into a TV series. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you really need to check it out. It one of my favorite horror films. The tone and vibe are awesome, and it has such a nightmarishly dark story. 

The movie was inspired by the Thomas De Quincey book called Suspiria De Profundis, and that will be the name of the series. The director of the original film, Dario Argento, will serve as an artist supervisor on the show.

The news comes from Screen Daily, which says that it will be a English-language period horror drama in which the author of the book is the lead character. The show will be “styled as a new Sherlock Holmes, the story will explore psychological fantasies of evil and attempt to solve fearful mysteries. It will be set in London and Rome at the turn of the 20th century.”

Argento said in a statement,

“The extraordinary freedom of expression and creativity that modern TV drama now offers and the interest that the public has shown towards it have encouraged me to take a stab at this new genre.”

This could be a really cool and insane series! I hope it turns out well!

One of the best things that this new Fantastic Four reboot has going for it is the cast playing the main characters. Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Michael B. Jordan are all incredibly talented young actors, and they play Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, Thing, and the Human Torch, respectively.

I’m not one of those people who needs convincing on the casting, because I think they’re going to be great. I just hope that the story and script match their talent. 

Four videos have been released for the movie, and each one focuses on one of these actors and the character that they play in the film. Writer/producer Simon Kinberg and director Josh Trank offer up some commentary on why they chose the actors they did to play these parts. 

FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

The movie is set to be released on August 7th, 2015.

Marvel Studios and Real3D have revealed a limited edition set of 3D glasses based on most of the characters from Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch didn’t get any. They must not be special enough, but there are still several to choose from! They include Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Vision, Hulk, and even Ultron

A release date and pricing haven’t been confirmed, but considering the movie comes out on May 1st, they should go on sale soon.

This last weekend was the last time WonderCon will be held in Anaheim CA. We had the opportunity to attend the 2015 event, and it was a really fun year, even if nothing spectacular or huge was revealed. All the good stuff is basically saved for San Diego Comic-Con anyway. 

Comic-Con International has announced that next year the WonderCon event will be held in Los Angeles at the L.A. Convention Center. This brings an end to the convention's four-year stay in Anaheim. I’ve actually enjoyed attending the event in Anaheim, and I’m kind of sad to see it relocate, especially since I absolutely hate going to downtown L.A. It makes sense for them to move, though. The reason for the move is that Anaheim doesn’t have enough available space on the dates they want to have the con. WonderCon was founded in 1987, and this is the third time that it has been moved. It previously lived in Oakland and San Francisco.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement,

“Los Angeles is honored to have been selected as the destination for WonderCon 2016. We look forward to establishing a long-term partnership with Comic-Con International, the presenter, and helping them establish a home-base in L.A. We anticipate the show to be highly attended and to set the precedent for future successful Comic-Con events in L.A.”

Los Angeles has also been trying to get Comic-Con International to bring their flagship event to their convention center for years, and apparently they are still in the running for that. With the rate that Comic-Con attendance is growing in San Diego, they will most likely move to another venue in the near future. 

I would really hate to see Comic-Con leave San Diego, but it looks like it has outgrown the small city. With WonderCon landing in L.A. there might be a good chance that Comic-Con will as well, especially with most of the movie studios and talent in the area. Other cities that have been in the running have included Anaheim and Las Vegas. 

Hulu is in the process of developing an original series based on Stephen King’s time-travel novel 11/22/63. It was previously announced that J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is producing the series and that James Franco is set to star in it. The story centers around the Kennedy assassination, and they have hired Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) to direct and executive produce the first two of the nine-episode event series.

Macdonald is a very talented director, and I think it’s great that they were able to get someone as good as him to be involved with developing the series. 

Franco plays a high school English teacher named Jake Epping who travels back in time to try to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on the fateful date in American history.

Some of the other cast members joining Franco in the series are Chris Cooper as the irascible owner of Al’s diner and a mentor and friend to Epping; Sarah Gadon as the librarian who falls in love with Franco’s character, who is unaware of his double life; Cherry Jones as Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother; Daniel Webber as Lee Harvey Oswald; George MacKay as a bartender who becomes Jake’s ally; Lucy Fry as Lee Harvey Oswald’s Russian wife; and Leon Rippy as a janitor at Epping’s school in 2015.

Hulu has yet to announce a premiere date, but we’ll keep you updated!

Source: Variety

When Bard the Bowman goes to reason with Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, Oakenshield is kind of an ass. Well, YouTube user M Venturelli took the scene and assholishness to new heights in this funny re-edit of the scene. The creator explains: 

“In the spirit of the ‘Tolkien Edits’, I kept the essence of the scene intact, while making it more to the point.”

You’re going to enjoy this.