Latest news with #IsabelaMerced
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Interactive experience brings Last of Us Vancouver filming locations to life
Included in the Survive Vancouver experience is exclusive behind-the-scenes content, local guides and interactive storytelling. Pedro Pascal (r) and Isabela Merced are seen here Season 2 of The Last of Us. Destination Vancouver has launched Survive Vancouver, a mobile, browser-based augmented reality (AR) experience that transports users into a world inspired by The Last of Us. Photo by Warner / Warner Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. With the lights barely out on Season 2 of The Last of Us, fans can hit the streets of Vancouver to feel closer to the hit HBO show. Destination Vancouver has launched Survive Vancouver, a mobile, browser-based augmented reality (AR) experience that takes fans into the apocalyptic world inspired by The Last of Us. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Developed in partnership with Victoria-based creative studios One Net Agency and Hololabs, Survive Vancouver guides fans through four downtown Vancouver locations of the show, which is returning to shoot season 3 here later in the summer. Users will visit the landmark Vancouver filming sites The Orpheum Theatre, Chinatown, Gastown, and Harbour Green Park. Included in the experience is exclusive behind-the-scenes content, local guides and interactive storytelling. Survive Vancouver, a mobile, browser-based augmented reality (AR) experience, guides fans of the hit HBO show The Last of Us through four filming locations in downtown Vancouver. Photo by Destination Vancouver. / Destination Vancouver. 'Vancouver has always played a starring role in film and television, and Survive Vancouver offers fans a new way to experience that magic. This initiative brings a new dimension to visiting our city, inviting fans to walk in the footsteps of their favourite characters while exploring our diverse neighbourhoods. We're inviting the world to step into the show and into Vancouver,' said Royce Chwin, President and CEO of Destination Vancouver in a statement. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Using AR tech powered by Niantic, creators of Pokémon Go, users uncover hidden digital props, unlock code words, and collect clues at each location. Once the clues have been figured out users are given a set of co-ordinates that will lead them to the prize of a limited-edition, hand-illustrated postcard featuring one of the iconic filming locations in its full apocalyptic glory. Destination Vancouver has launched Survive Vancouver, a mobile, browser-based augmented reality (AR) experience that takes you into a world inspired by The Last of Us. Photo by Destination Vancouver / Destination Vancouver No app download is required, users can play right in their mobile browser. Fans can also access exclusive episode recaps and filming location insights at Read More Crime World Toronto & GTA Toronto Raptors Television
Geek Tyrant
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Isabela Merced Opens Up About Her Role in James Gunn's SUPERMAN and Why She Has a "Grumpy Demeanor" — GeekTyrant
Isabela Merced isn't playing your typical superhero in James Gunn's Superman . Her version of Hawkgirl, a.k.a. Kendra Saunders, comes with centuries of emotional baggage. These new details that we've learned are actually really cool. Speaking on the DC Studios Showcase Official Podcast, Merced revealed that her character is the reincarnated spirit of the Thanagarian Shayera Hol, a legacy steeped in tragedy and endless rebirth, and Kendra remembers everything. Merced explained: 'Kendra is reincarnated from an alien. So, she has all those memories. The story is actually really dark, it's so f–ked up that I wonder how they're going to handle that when it comes to addressing that. 'I think she carries all of the memories, and the traumas, and the mistakes of her past lives in her body, wherever she goes, so she has a little bit of a grumpy demeanor.' This is a very interesting direction to take the character, and it leans into the convoluted mythos that has long defined Hawkgirl in the comics. Whether as Shiera Sanders, Shayera Hol, or Kendra Saunders, Hawkgirl's tale has always been a mix of love, loss, and reincarnation. But unlike some iterations where the character is blissfully unaware of her past, Merced's Kendra fully remembers the trauma. 'Honestly, it gives me so much backstory and it's super helpful. But then you also have the James Gunn twist, that self-awareness and the comedy of it all. It gives me the opportunity to sort of make light of my trauma and that's what I do all the time.' The 'grumpy demeanor' she talked about is the weight of lifetimes echoing through every moment, and that fits right in with Gunn's signature blend of dark themes and irreverent humor. While Merced's Hawkgirl isn't the central character of the film, her presence shows Gunn is having with with world-building. David Corenswet stars as the Man of Steel, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as a very bald Lex Luthor. The ensemble also includes Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, and María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer. Milly Alcock will also appear as Supergirl, setting up her own solo film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow . Superman is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Review: The Last of Us season two finishes with a bang
* Warning: This article contains spoilers if you have not seen The Last of Us season two * The Last of Us season two finished with a bang, literally, leaving viewers with an agonising wait for season three. After the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) in episode two, a huge shock for those who didn't play the video game, there were questions over whether the show would be as good to watch. Advertisement The emphatic answer is yes. We got the flashback episode going into his relationship with Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and a slower pace with Ellie's journey to Seattle with Dina (Isabela Merced), but the season finale was action-packed. Ellie finally confessed her secret with Joel to Dina, about how her father figure killed a hospital full of people to save her when she was due to be sacrified in a bid for a cure to the zombie pandemic. The awkward reunion between Jesse (Young Mazino), Ellie and Dina is broken up when the former pair must set out to find Tommy (Gabriel Luna). Advertisement The last of us subverts the zombie genre as it has always been more about the human characters and their relationship, much more so than the likes of The Walking Dead. This is one of its biggest strengths and it was shown again in the season two finale, as Ellie and Jesse were forced to confront some uncomfortable truths. There is also more action as we see more of the brutal guerrilla warfare between the militia WLF (wolves) and cultish seraphites. Ellie's confession to Dina appeared to be the end of her quest for vengeance over the brutal killing of Joel, until she realises Abby (Kaitlyn) is hiding out in an aquarium on a dock. Advertisement As Jesse and Ellie part ways, we see one of her character's most intense yet vulnerable moments as she tells him: "Let me tell you about my community. My community was beaten to death in front of me while I was forced to f***ing watch.' After a close call with the seraphites, Ellie kills Owen (Spencer Lord) and his girlfriend Mel (Ariela Barer), with a tragic conclusion. After Tommy and Jesse come to her rescue, the trio prepare for a return to Jackson. This leads to the dramatic conclusion as Abby catches up to shoot Tommy in the leg and kill Jessie before confronting Ellie. "I let you live," she shouts, before firing. We're left with a huge cliffhanger, before a time shift which the show is known for. It shows Abby looking out over WLF HQ, an abandoned stadium, and suggests season three will focus on her backstory, like in the game. The season finale of The Last Of Us is on Sky Go and NOW TV
Geek Tyrant
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
PEACEMAKER Season 2: James Gunn Teases Huge Cameos, a SUPERMAN Tie-In, and DCU Connections — GeekTyrant
James Gunn is not holding back when it comes to Peacemaker Season 2. With the DCU getting a full-blown reboot, Gunn is making sure Peacemaker thrives in his future DC plans. In a new interview with EW, Gunn shed some light on what fans can expect, and it's a lot. The recently released trailer already gave us a glimpse of what's coming, including the official debut of characters like Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner and Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl. But those cameos? That's just the beginning. Gunn said: 'I developed it along the way, in conjunction with the other DC projects that we're doing, so it's very much connected to Superman and it's very much connected to what comes after. 'I had a rough idea of what I was going to do, but it was actually quite different than what the show ended up being.' One of the key connective tissues between Peacemaker and the larger DCU is a piece of tech introduced in Season 1 called the Quantum Unfolding Chamber or QUC, which was created by Peacemaker's deeply problematic father, White Dragon. This pocket-dimension technology is apparently the center of Season 2's story and will carry over into Gunn's Superman film. Gunn shared: 'You've seen what we call the QUC, the Quantum Unfolding Chamber, in the first season of Peacemaker, and we see more about that technology in Superman. 'The QUC is the center of the story in Peacemaker season 2... We see a lot of different characters from Superman in the [season], [including] Isabela and Nathan and Sean, and then we see a bunch of other characters later on in the season from other parts of the DCU and from Superman.' He then teased: 'There might even be one really, really, really big cameo near the end of the show.' Naturally, this opens the door for a lot of wild possibilities like alternate timelines, doppelgängers, retcons, and whatever else Gunn's imagination is cooking up behind the scenes. As for Peacemaker himself, we're picking up 'roughly' two years after the events of Season 1, and Chris Smith has developed a bit of an ego. Having saved the world from the Butterflies, he thinks he's ready for the big leagues. 'We come into season 2 with Peacemaker knowing that he saved the world from the Butterflies. He thinks he's a big star now, and he should be a real superhero. 'And we see at the very beginning of episode 1 that he's meeting with the group of superheroes from Superman, and he's basically interviewing for membership in the group. But they just mock him the entire time, so he's not taken seriously.' Gunn goes on to say: 'He's still considered a punchline among all of the other metahumans, so he's starting the season in a bad place. As are all of our heroes, all of the 11th Street kids — well, everybody but Vigilante [Freddie Stroma], who just always seems to be okay with everything.' Warner Bros. describes Season 2 as continuing 'the story of Christopher 'Chris' Smith, aka Peacemaker, the vigilante Super Hero as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evil-doer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost.' So, we've got big cameos coming, Superman connections, dimension-hopping tech, and Peacemaker still being a lovable jackass. I'm excited to see how this plays out and I hoipe that Gunn sticks the landing with his big an ambitious plans.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What we know about The Last Of Us series 3
The Last of Us reaches its tense series two finale tonight, but the good news for fans is that series three is on the it's still a way off yet. Sky will air the finale of the video game adaptation's hit second series on Monday, 26 May, bringing to a close the latest developments in the zombie apocalypse storyline that saw Pedro Pascal's leading man Joel Miller devastatingly killed off in episode two. But what does series three hold, and when are we likely to see it make a return to screens? The video game adaptation isn't exactly known for rolling out series in quick succession, although it did offer fans the great news that series three was confirmed before series two even aired. Isabela Merced, who plays Dina in series two, has told Variety that she isn't sure of filming schedules but thinks the new episodes will probably shoot in 2026. Given that the first two series didn't make it to screen until around eight months after filming wrapped, we could be looking at a lengthy wait until 2027 to find out what happens next. Fans of the video game have long speculated that series three will see a switch in main character from Bella Ramsey's star turn as Ellie to Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever. It would be a controversial move as soldier Abby was responsible for Joel's death whilst avenging her own father, but would be in keeping with the game which sees a change in character perspective for part two. Catherine O'Hara, who starred as therapist Gail in series two, seemed to confirm this when she was asked by Variety whether she would be back for series three: "I don't know," said the Schitt's Creek star. "Craig [Mazin] did say definitely not this next season. It's the Abby story. Maybe. But I think it was to serve Joel and Ellie." However, Ellie fans might not be looking at a whole series without her, as she is still out for justice against Abby over Joel's death. Their bitter rivalry may well be the storyline that series three hinges on. Creator Craig Mazin hinted to Collider that series three may be longer than seven episodes: "The thing about Joel's death is that it's so impactful. It's such a narrative nuclear bomb that it's hard to wander away from it. We can't really take a break and move off to the side and do a Bill and Frank story. I'm not sure that will necessarily be true for season three. I think we'll have a little more room there." It certainly looks that way. In Mazin's interview with Collider, he spoke as though series four was all but a certainty as he explained the difficulties in wrapping up every story arc. Talking about how they tried to think long-term about each character's scenes, he said: "We thought ahead to season three and season four, to try to get as much visibility as we can." He added that it "certainly" wouldn't be possible to finish the whole story in series three, delighting fans with the news: "Hopefully, we'll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth. That's the most likely outcome." The Last of Us series 2 finale airs on Sky Atlantic at 9pm on Monday, 26 May.
