Your weekly roundup for everything nerdy
This week, gamers rejoice as Sony announced the end of the PlayStation 5 shortage and Sherlock fans did the same as hope for a new series was reignited by its creator. Meanwhile, Stephen Amell is set to take up his bow and arrow again, Jeremy Renner is thankfully recovering from his accident, and we finally got our first glimpse of Nicolas Cage as Dracula in a new film.
Jeremy Renner is recovering, Stephen Amell returning for The Flash finale, The Last of Us creators discuss a potential Season 2, and Nicolas Cage as Dracula. Here’s what you may have missed this week in geek.
Jeremy Renner is recovering from his accident and celebrated his birthday in the hospital
The Hawkeye actor got into a snowplow accident last week which put him in the ICU in “critical but stable condition”. This week, Renner himself posted on Instagram to give his anxious fans an update. “Thank you all for your kind words,” he wrote. “I’m too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.” The actor also turned 52 this week, and he commemorated the event by posting a picture on his Instagram story of him with some of the medical staff in the hopsital he’s in. “Thank you renowned medical ICU team for beginning this journey,” Renner wrote.
Sherlock creator and writer Steven Moffat is up to revisit the detective if Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are up for it
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost six years since we last saw Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes. The modernised take on the Arthur Conan Doyle classic was a huge hit, and though it’s had four series under its belt along with a creepy Christmas special, fans still remain eager for more. Steven Moffat, on a press tour to promote his new West End play The Friend, told BBC Today that he would “start writing Sherlock tomorrow” if Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, who played John Watson, would return to their roles. “They’re on to bigger and better things but, Martin and Benedict, please come back?” the writer joked. Cumberbatch has famously been playing the role of Doctor Strange in the MCU while Freeman is also playing in the same universe as Everett Ross, who was last seen in Wakanda Forever.
Sony declares the PS5 shortage is over
Buying a PlayStation 5 has been a struggle ever since its release, but Sony says those days are over. During its annual CES tech conference, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan revealed that the console has surpassed 30 million units sold. December saw an uptick in sales and “was the biggest month ever for PS5 console sales”, according to Ryan.
Will this also be true here in Thailand? It seems like it: for the first time since its release, I was able find a retail shop that was actually selling a PS5. No pre-orders, no refreshing links, just a classic over-the-counter sale.
The Last of Us will not adapt anything beyond the games; Season 2 will likely cover the second game
The show isn’t out yet but questions are already being asked about a potential second season for the video game adaptation. Creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have already said that there are surprises even for those familiar with the story as they’ve explored and expanded some things that wasn’t in the game, but Druckmann has definitively stated they’re sticking to the stories of the original material. “We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games,” says Druckmann. “We won’t run into the same issue as Game of Thrones since Part II doesn’t end on a cliffhanger.”
As for a potential second season, Mazin gave the obvious answer: it would cover the events of the second game. Those familiar with Part II will know that the game takes place years after the first one, so it will be interesting how they tackle this if the season is ever greenlit.
Stephen Amell returns as Oliver Queen for The Flash season finale
Arrow ushered in what would be known as the CW’s Arrowverse, with a number of DC Comics characters coming to the small screen including Supergirl, The Heroes of Tomorrow, and possibly the most successful one, The Flash. With The Flash now gearing up for its season finale, fans were anxious to know whether the man who started it all would return to his role as the Green Archer, so it’s a relief to know that Stephen Amell will indeed be reprising his role as Oliver Queen for the finale. Throughout the course of each of their respective shows, Oliver Queen and Barry Allen aka The Flash became close friends, so it’ll be nice to see Oliver give Barry a proper send-off.
Nicolas Cage is Dracula. No, seriously.
Legendary actor and iconic reciter of ABCs Nicolas Cage is finally taking on a role he seems to have been born to play: the vampire Dracula. The trailer for the upcoming film Renfield is a comedic take on Dracula’s eponymous aide played by Nicholas Hoult. After discovering that he’s basically in a “toxic relationship” with his boss, he wants out. But that’s easier said than done when your boss is, well, Dracula.
An exclusive first look at the Gran Turismo movie
I hear you. “There’s a Gran Turismo movie?” Yep, and it’s being helmed by District 9 director Neill Blomkamp with a cast that includes Orlando Bloom and David Harbour. The film isn’t exactly an adaptation but is instead based on the true story of a teenager who went from playing Gran Turismo on his console to becoming an actual professional racecar driver. The video gives us a glimpse of what to expect, and man, hearing those starting horns brings back memories.
