Latest news with #Joker
Express Tribune
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Hatsune Miku and Persona 5 Royal collaboration confirmed for August in Colorful Stage event
Sega has confirmed an official crossover between Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage and Persona 5 Royal, set to run from August 4 to 13 2025. The limited-time event will bring a range of new content to the mobile rhythm game, including cosmetics based on characters from Persona 5 Royal. The collaboration was announced on the official Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage X account on July 28, shortly after a leaked video appeared online showing Hatsune Miku performing a cover of Persona 5's battle theme, 'Life Will Change.' Sega has now formally confirmed the track as part of the event. During the crossover, players will be able to obtain special gacha items, including limited avatar costumes inspired by Persona 5's Joker and Violet. Two free items will also be distributed to players who log in during the event period: the 'Morgana Dress-up Costume' and the 'Leblanc Curry Set.' While this is the first collaboration between Colorful Stage and the Persona series, Hatsune Miku has previously appeared in several other gaming titles, including Persona 4: Dancing All Night, Fortnite, and Monster Hunter. She has also been featured in non-gaming projects such as official Magic: The Gathering cards and Asus hardware promotions. Full event details have yet to be released, but Sega has stated that more information will be made available ahead of the launch.
Pink Villa
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Why was the Hulk Hogan biopic with Chris Hemsworth scrapped? All about Netflix error that shut down an Oscar-worthy project
The once highly anticipated Hulk Hogan biopic starring Chris Hemsworth was shelved after Netflix botched a critical payment clause, effectively ending what some believed could have been an Oscar-worthy performance. The cancellation, confirmed by both Hogan and director Todd Phillips, left fans disappointed and the script collecting dust. Now, with Hogan having passed away at age 71, the question lingers: Will his epic rise ever be told on the big screen? Netflix's contract misstep derails years of work The Hulk Hogan biopic, first announced in 2019, was to trace the 'origin story of the Hulkster and Hulkamania,' per The Hindustan Times. It would have depicted the larger-than-life personality of Terry Bollea, the man behind the yellow trunks and signature mustache. With Joker screenwriter Scott Silver penning the script, and Hemsworth preparing for a physical and emotional transformation unlike any he had attempted, expectations were high. But by 2021, production stalled. Then in 2024, Hogan revealed on the PBD Podcast that Netflix had 'missed a beat in the contract,' failing to process a key payment on time. 'The script was amazing,' Hogan said, adding that Silver called it 'the best thing [he's] ever written.' Director Todd Phillips later confirmed to Variety that the film would not move forward, calling the outcome disappointing. Why Hemsworth's performance could have earned him gold Hogan was not shy about the potential of the role. 'There was talk that Chris Hemsworth had never played a real person before,' he said. 'He could probably win an Oscar; this thing is so powerful.' The tone was reportedly dark, aligning with Phillips' signature style. Hemsworth, known for his Marvel roles, was ready to 'put on more size than I ever have before,' perfect the accent, and embody the attitude of a man who redefined sports entertainment. 'I will also have to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of the wrestling world, which I'm really looking forward to doing,' he said in a 2020 Total Film interview. Without the missed payment, the film may have delivered the kind of transformative performance a certain awards body favors: a genre shift, a real-life subject, and an actor going far beyond his comfort zone. Instead, it joined the growing list of Hollywood what-ifs. Could a posthumous biopic still happen? Hogan's influence, both in and out of the ring, remains undeniable. He was the face of WWE's explosion in the 1980s, headlined WrestleMania, and brought wrestling into mainstream pop culture. With the success of wrestling dramas like The Iron Claw, and renewed attention following Hogan's passing, it is still quite possible for a biopic to materialize. Whether Hemsworth or Phillips would return remains uncertain, but Hogan's story may yet find its place in cinema history.
Leaders
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Leaders
Manga Productions Signs Deal to Launch ‘Sonic' Game in Middle East
Manga Productions has signed a publishing and distribution agreement with Japanese company Sega to launch the popular game Sonic Racing: Crossworlds for MENA audiences, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The Saudi company will collaborate with Sega to deploy the game in the Middle East and North Africa region. The cooperation will also include invaluable opportunities for Saudi talent to take part in the publishing process, as well as marketing the game. Interestingly, the game offers extensive vehicle customization options when it comes to appearance and performance, as well as items granting special abilities that impact gameplay style. Moreover, it supports online multiplayer, so that players can compete globally, climb leaderboards and earn exclusive rewards. The game features a record-breaking roster of 23 characters, with plans set to expand further through post-launch updates. Such updates will boast characters such as Hatsune Miku, Joker from Persona 5 Royal, Ichiban Kasuga from Like a Dragon, along with popular characters from franchises such as Minecraft and SpongeBob SquarePants, among others. Through more than 70 types of items, players can customize their strategies as each item provides different skills and features. The game supports online multiplayer with a co-op feature, where up to 12 players can compete. Essam Bukhary, CEO of Manga Productions, stated that the company has successfully established strategic partnerships that have played a central role in advancing the creative content industry in the Kingdom and across the region. Related Topics: Manga Productions Boosts Japanese Collaboration for Riyadh Season Japan's Minister Praises Manga Productions Creativity Saudi Manga Productions Premiere 'The Journey' Movie in Chinese Short link : Post Views: 8
Evening Standard
3 days ago
- Evening Standard
Hinterglemm, Austria: a cool, calm oasis for summer breaks minus the unbearable heat
If self-care also involves exercise and the great outdoors for you, this place couldn't be better situated. Located within a few minutes walk of the town's ski lifts, visitors can reach nine different mountain tops in no time. Use the local Joker card which is granted to guests at check-in from May to October. It allows for free use of gondolas, as well as local buses and trains — opening up the whole Salzburg region.
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
OpenAI chairman says training your own AI model is a 'good way to burn through millions'
There's a scene in "The Dark Knight" where the Joker sets ablaze a massive pile of money. Deciding to develop your own frontier AI model today may be a similar exercise in burning cash — just ask OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor. Taylor, who has worked for three companies that have trained LLMs, including Google, Facebook, and OpenAI, called training new AI models a "good way to burn through millions of dollars." On a recent episode of the Minus One podcast, Taylor advised AI founders to build services and use-cases, but not new frontier models entirely. "Unless you work at OpenAI or Anthropic or Google or Meta, you're probably not building one of those," said Taylor, who also cofounded Sierra AI. "It requires so much capital that it will tend towards consolidation." That high bar of capital has stopped any "indie data center market" from forming, Taylor said, because it simply costs too much. Taylor advised that founders work with the AI juggernauts instead — which, it's worth noting, is something that AI giants like OpenAI, where he's chairman, would directly benefit from. OpenAI sells "tokens" to access its API, which developers can build into their applications and programs. While the American LLM market remains largely consolidated, international players have tested Taylor's theory. In January, DeepSeek released its R1 reasoning model and a corresponding chatbot. DeepSeek used fewer, less advanced chips to build its LLM, minimizing capital costs. The Chinese AI app shot to No. 1 on the App Store charts, surpassing ChatGPT and igniting a debate in tech and on Wall Street about whether tech giants were overspending on AI model development. In his podcast interview, Taylor laid out other paths that entrepreneurs could take in the AI market, rather than training a new model. One was the "AI tools market." "This is the proverbial pickaxes in the gold rush," Taylor said. "It's a dangerous space because I think there's a lot of things that are scratching an itch today that the foundation model providers might do tomorrow." Entrepreneurs could also try to build what Taylor called an "applied AI company." "What were SaaS applications in 2010 will be agent companies in 2030, in my opinion," Taylor said. Building a model from scratch, though, is a sure-fire way to "destroy your capital," Taylor said. He called handmade models "fast-depreciating assets," and not cheap ones either, costing the builder millions of dollars.
