Latest news with #MichaelBay
Geek Culture
3 days ago
- Business
- Geek Culture
Warner Bros. Reportedly Eyed Michael Bay To Direct Henry Cavill Superman Sequel
The Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, could have gotten another solo outing on the silver screen, but the onboarding of James Gunn and Peter Safran as DC Studios co-heads put an end to the idea. Per The Wrap, Warner Bros. Pictures chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy were considering a 'standalone Henry Cavill-led Superman film going in 2022,' with Transformers helmer Michael Bay, who has never done a straight-up superhero movie before, in the director's chair. While it's unclear how far the deal went, the project was reportedly meant to be straightforward and without the entanglements that follow tie-ins, crossovers, or multiverse productions. The discussion took place between the departure of the previous head, Walter Hamada, and the induction of Gunn and Safran. In the same year, Cavill would step down as the titular superhero and set his sights on other franchise deals, including a live-action Voltron film adaptation, a Warhammer 40K series for Amazon, and a reboot of the 1986 classic Highlander . As for Bay, the filmmaker is set to debut his first-ever documentary, We Are Storror , at the 2025 SXSW (pronounced 'South by Southwest') festival. Next on his agenda list are Netflix's action title Fast and Loose , which will reunite him with Bad Boys star Will Smith, and a film adaptation of the classic arcade title OutRun starring Sydney Sweeney. But first, all eyes are on Gunn's upcoming Superman movie. This time, David Corenswet ( Twisters , Pearl ) is donning the cape, with Rachel Brosnahan ( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ) and Nicholas Hoult (the X-Men films) playing Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, respectively. The superhero flick is one of the six live-action big-screen projects planned for Chapter One of the rebooted cinematic universe, followed by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in June 2026, Clayface in September 2026, The Authority (TBA), The Brave and the Bold , and Swamp Thing . It hits theatres on 10 July. Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. Man of Steel michael bay Superman Transformers warner bros
Geek Tyrant
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Warner Bros. Considered Hiring Michael Bay to Direct MAN OF STEEL 2 with Henry Cavill — GeekTyrant
So here's a wild one for all you DC fans out there! At one point in 2022, Warner Bros. briefly considered handing Man of Steel 2 to none other than Transformers director Michael Bay, with Henry Cavill's version of Superman. This all came to light thanks to a recent report from The Wrap, which revealed, "Before Gunn and Safran's hiring, Warner Bros. Pictures chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy briefly tried to get a standalone Henry Cavill-led Superman film going in 2022, with Michael Bay eyed to possibly direct, according to two insiders." Cavill's Superman soaring through Bayhem… that would've been a bonkers Superman movie. Bay was just one name in the mix. Another filmmaker Warner Bros. considered was Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning director Christopher McQuarrie, who had previously teamed up with Cavill on Fallout . McQuarrie even teased what could've been an emotionally rich and ambitious take on Superman, saying: "I will tell you, the first 5 minutes of my Superman movie was... you remember Pixar's Up? [It was] a sequence with no dialogue that covered that character. '[It] was a set-up, after which you knew exactly what makes Superman tick and exactly what Superman was most afraid of and why Superman made the choices he made. 'It would have been epic. The scale of the movie would have been absolutely extraordinary. I'll never tell. I'll never tell, but boy was it fing good. It was fing good." That version clearly had heart. As for Bay's vision? It's hard to say. Despite being approached, Bay has consistently shown little interest in joining established superhero franchises. In fact, around the same time this Superman idea was floating around, he told the press: "It's not that I'm not interested in Marvel. As Ridley Scott says, the most complicated thing for a director and the most fun thing for a director is to build the world. "I'm not the guy to go into Lucas' Star Wars and do Star Wars Five. That's not me. I'm not the one to come into Iron Man Seven. I'm not the one to do Batman 10. 'I want to do my own thing. I would love to do a superhero thing but I want to do it on my own terms and create my own world." Still, it's interesting to imagine what Bay's take on Superman, would've been had he accepted the opportunity to take it on. In the end, the DCEU, as we knew it, collapsed under the weight of its own craziness, and James Gunn's fresh start is now on the horizon with Superman set to launch a new chapter. But, for a fleeting moment, there was a timeline where Cavill returned, and Michael Bay brought him back in a blaze of exploding barns, wild flying chase sequences, and American flags fluttering in slow motion in the middle of massive Superman battle.
Hype Malaysia
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
Movie News: Michael Bay To Direct 'Skibidi Toilet' Movie; 'Avengers: Doomsday' & 'Secret Wars' Delayed?
'Expect the unexpected' is a phrase that applies to much of life, but who'd have thought that it'd be so relevant to the world of cinema, now more than ever? From the potential birth of an unexpected, but potentially huge, IP, to the surprise delay of another – here's some hot tea straight from the world of movies. Michael Bay's 'Skibidi Toilet' Movie Now In Development Internet trends and YouTube sensations come and go; some fade into obscurity while others are elevated to unprecedented heights, for better or worse. However, almost once every decade, a viral internet sensation will rock the social media landscape and snowball into an unstoppable juggernaut of intellectual property. The last time was 'Five Nights At Freddy's'. And now, the 'Skibidi Toilet' movie is on the horizon. You read that right. The mega-viral YouTube sensation of this generation is hitting the big screen. But who is bringing such an experimental and, for lack of a better word, bizarre, series to life? Well, it's none other than 'Transformers' franchise director Michael Bay. Invisible Narrative, a film production company where Bay serves as its chief creative director, announced earlier this week that the veteran director is officially working on a 'Skibidi Toilet' movie. For those who are unfamiliar with the franchise, 'Skibidi Toilet' is, as mentioned earlier, a mega-viral YouTube series that talks about a dystopian war between a race of singing toilet-men and humanoid figures with TVs, cameras, and speakers for heads. Made with iconic, albeit dated, Source Filmmaker, the series, created by Georgia-based Alexey Gerasimov, has been going strong since 2023. The series' explosion onto the public consciousness marked the arrival of Generation Alpha to the world and the internet. The first-ever episode, though only 11 seconds long, has amassed 241 million views, while its most recent 78th installment has garnered 31 million views. It has inspired memes, games, fan art, and at least one 'Skibidi Toilet' themed birthday party. The series has been the subject of incalculable amounts of speculation, theories and even essays that delve deep into the lore; something that we speculate Invisible Narratives seeks to leverage. It's quite surprising to see Bay take on this film head-on. At the age of 60, we never expected him to tackle such a wild franchise. However, credit where credit is due – he made the 'Transformers' franchise into the behemoth it is today. Something similar might happen to 'Skibidi Toilet'. Speaking of 'Transformers', we might see the same level of movie magic going into this upcoming film as Bay will be reunited with his production designer, Jeffrey Beecroft, who worked on 'Age of Extinction' and 'The Last Knight'. Also on board is three-time Academy Award-winning VFX supervisor Rob Legato, who is known for his work in 'Titanic' and 'Avatar' – so to say this film is a surprisingly massive undertaking is an incredible understatement. There's no release date yet for the upcoming adaptation, but the company has confirmed that they will post regular updates through their official website. 'Avengers: Doomsday' & 'Secret Wars' Pushed Back To Late 2026 & 2027 Despite the success Marvel is experiencing with the recent 'Thunderbolts*', even titans trip up at times. Though Marvel and Disney are juggernauts of their respective fields, people tend to forget that every single project these companies take on is a logistical nightmare. Though we're excited to see the return of RDJ as Dr. Doom, the arrival of the X-Men, as well as the Fantastic Four, it seems as though fans will have to wait a little longer to get that next Avengers-level threat. As per Screen Rant's report, Marvel has delayed 'Avengers: Doomsday' from 1st May, 2026, to 18th December, 2026, and 'Avengers: Secret Wars' from 7th May, 2027, to 17th December, 2027. News of the delay broke last night when Disney revealed that significant reshuffling was ongoing with its current lineup. The lineup changes include, but are not limited to, the removal of one untitled film from its 13th February, 2026, release date, another from its 6th November, 2026 date, and another from its 5th November, 2027 date. They are to be replaced by 'Untitled Disney' movies. Which means that, after the release of 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps', there won't be another MCU film until next year when 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' swings into theatres. Not only that, Marvel still has three more dates for untitled movies in 2028: one on the 18th of February, one on th e5th of May, and one on the 10th of November. It;s unknown whether these yet-to-be-announced movies will be affected by the delays. That isn't to say that the two 'Avengers' movies have ceased production entirely. Robert Downey Jr. himself has shared some BTS pictures from the 'Doomsday' set on Instagram, teasing his reintroduction into the villainous role (and he is JACKED)! Who knows, we might just see the rest of the confirmed cast duke it out with the returning star. Though we have to hunker down for a little while longer, we know for a fact that, when the chips are down, Marvel can deliver some wicked hits. Source: Empire, Screen Rant, Entertainment Weekly
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
It's Official—Michael Bay Will Direct The ‘Skibidi Toilet' Movie
Skibidi Toilet is set to become a Michael Bay film YouTube/DaFuq!?Boom! Viral YouTube series Skibidi Toilet has gone from meme to Hollywood dream, with Transformers director Michael Bay set to direct the film adaptation of the internet phenomenon. The film is being developed by Invisible Narratives, the company founded by the former head of Paramount Pictures, Adam Goodman, who reckons that the Skibidi Toilet franchise could rival 'the Marvel universe.' The viral series has proved wildly popular with Gen Alpha but controversial with parents—each episode posted on YouTube features grotesque images of heads poking out of stained toilet bowls, engaged in a fierce battle with mechanical men made of media equipment such as speakers, televisions and cameras. The Skibidi Toilet film has attracted top talent, with three-time Academy Award-winning vfx supervisor Rob Legato (Titanic, Avatar, The Jungle Book) joining the production along with Academy Award-nominated production designer Jeffrey Beecroft (12 Monkeys, Transformers). While other internet memes (such as Italian Brainrot) are beginning to rival the popularity of Skibidi Toilet, on YouTube, the series is still going strong, each new episode acclimating tens of millions of views. According to a press release from Invisible Narratives, the Skibidi Toilet franchise collectively boasts over 35 billion views. The series was created by Georgia-based animator Alexey Gerasimov, who uploaded the first Skibidi Toilet video as an 11-second short on YouTube. Said short features a head poking out of a toilet and singing an altered version of a Biser King song which originated from a TikTok meme. Gerasimov was originally inspired by terrible dreams of 'heads coming out of toilets,' and turned his nightmare fuel into a story using Valve's Source Filmmaker. The series has since grown increasingly elaborate, showing the fallout of a catastrophic arms race between the Skibidi Toilets and the mechanical men. Many episodes of the series bear more resemblance to first-person shooters than traditional action films, and characters from famous video game franchises have appeared as easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans to spot. More recent episodes of Skibidi Toilet depict kaiju-size mechs armed with laser beams, a far cry from the initial premise of scrappy, hand-to-hand combat, which featured plungers used as lethal weapons. Gerasimov specifically cited Michael Bay's Transformers films as an inspiration, so the viral YouTube series has gone full circle. The internet largely reacted with memes and skepticism to the news. It appears that we have entered a strange new era of cinema, where popular IP is being mercilessly mined for content, a landscape in which Barbie can outshine The New Avengers. Superheroes are no longer a safe bet at the box office, but video game adaptations such as Sonic, Super Mario and Minecraft are drawing in huge crowds. In some cases, such as the Minecraft Movie, memes have spilled into the theatre seats, changing the way viewers interact with their favorite blockbusters. The viral 'Backrooms' phenomenon emerged online as a collective horror concept composed by anonymous internet users, and is also set for a film adaption. Skibidi Toilet emerged from a primordial stew of memes, YouTube culture and video game assets (largely taken from Half-Life 2), and seems well-suited to inspire a similar trend.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Toyota Is Finally Making the EV the Car Market Sorely Needs
Toyota's second pure EV for America plays more to the brand's adventurous spirit while filling a notable hole in the current EV landscape. Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more It's hard not to admire Toyota's remarkable portfolio of vehicles, though, in full disclosure, my first car was a Toyota Tacoma, so feel free to call me biased if you want. On one side, with all apologies to rare exceptions like the newly revealed Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, it's a brand known for making some of the most pragmatic (and yes, often staid) sedans and vans ever to grace the asphalt in the Camry, Corolla, and Sienna. Yet the same company also makes other vehicles, like the Tacoma (and Hilux!), 4Runner, and iconic Land Cruiser, which passionate, hard-core off-roading enthusiasts revere as some of the most badass, drive-through-hell-and-back rides in existence. It's the cultural equivalent of Michael Bay being a maestro of action movies and rom-coms—nay, foreign documentary shorts—or Patrick Mahomes being equally elite in football and figure skating. You just don't often see a singular entity master such two disparate fields so completely. I'm belaboring the point because when the company had to game-plan its first mass-produced EV in North America, it's easy to imagine leadership facing a difficult question. Do we release a vehicle that aligns with our pragmatic or passionate side? Or do we thread the needle and aim for the narrow zone somewhere in between, as in the case of one of the brand's other all-time great vehicles, the RAV4? I can't speak to what the company ultimately aimed for. Yet, a quick survey of the automotive media's reaction to the Toyota bZ4X, which launched in 2022, suggests it didn't quite hit any mark, at least not neatly in the center. 'Toyota's newly announced bZ Woodland SUV feels like a much stronger bet in the direction of the brand's deep roots in making versatile, value-oriented adventure vehicles, which the EV market is sorely missing right now.' However, Toyota's newly announced bZ Woodland SUV feels like a much stronger bet in the direction of the brand's deep roots in making versatile, value-oriented adventure vehicles, which the EV market is sorely missing right now. You might think the bZ Woodland is simply a unique name for a particular configuration of the existing bZ4X, and you'd be wrong. It's a brand-new vehicle, though it has much in common with the original bZ4X. The vehicle's 'hammerhead' front facia and lights are the clearest tie-ins, along with a heavy dose of black plastic along the wheel wells. Subaru's upcoming Trailseeker is actually the more accurate comp since it shares the same platform. Like the Trailseeker and Subaru's category-defining Outback, the bZ Woodland leans more towards adventurous pursuits than almost every other mid-sized EV crossover/SUV currently on the market, short of perhaps Jeep's Wagoneer S. It ships with raised roof rails and special 18-inch wheels that can pair with all-terrain tires. It's also nearly 6 inches longer than the bZ4 and offers 8.3 inches of ground clearance, good enough to pass over semi-prominent trail features. 'It ships with raised roof rails and special 18-inch wheels that can pair with all-terrain tires. It's also nearly 6 inches longer than the bZ4 and offers 8.3 inches of ground clearance, good enough to pass over semi-prominent trail features. That figure is significantly higher than the max 5.7 inches the Ford Mach E offers or the 6.1 inches of the Hyundai Ioniq 5. In fact, it's just shy of the 8.4 – 8.6 inches offered by various RAV4 trims. The vehicle's towing capacity is also 3,500 lb, which matches that of RAV4s with bigger engines, the Tesla Model Y and 2025 Subaru Outback. It's also notably higher than that of the Ioniq 5 and Mach E (which isn't recommended for towing in the U.S.). At launch, the bZ Woodland will be available only in a single trim. A premium package can add a better sound system, a pano glass roof, vented front seats, and a more energy-efficient infrared-based radiant heating system. The photos show a fine and functional interior for a human living in 2025. The seats are SofTex-trimmed. A 14-inch infotainment screen dominates the center and supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Standard panoramic and multi-terrain view capabilities should help with squeezing into tighter spaces. A dual wireless smartphone charger is also a welcome addition. Four USB-C ports are placed throughout, too. Speaking of phones, the car's headlights, horn, rear hatch, and core temperature controls like the heat seaters/ventilation, defroster, and steering wheel heater can all be activated remotely using the Toyota app and even synced to a schedule. A user's phone can also serve as a digital key to the vehicle. The car can even function as a 4G wireless AT&T hotspot for up to four devices with a subscription. The bZ Woodland also comes standard with Toyota's Safety Sense 3.0 suite, which includes features like pre-collision avoidance, lane departure alerts, dynamic cruise control, lane tracing and road sign assist, automatic high beams, and proactive driving assist. You can't talk about EVs without discussing range. Toyota states the bZ Woodland will offer up to 260 miles, which isn't particularly impressive given the vehicle's seemingly 'get out there' ethos. That said, it matches the range of baseline versions of Ford's Mach E and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. It features a North American Charging System (NACS) port and can jump from 10 – 80% power after 30 minutes of DC charging. Traction-wise, the vehicle features a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system with a grip-control function that Toyota says provides 'motor drive power modulation to achieve capable off-road performance.' Toyota pegs the combined system output at 375 hp. Taken as a whole, the bZ Woodland fills an obvious hole in the current EV landscape. Its additional ground clearance, roof rails, all-wheel drive, and wagon silhouette make it much more capable of tackling lighter weekend adventures closer to home, like ski trips or mountain biking excursions right off the lot, than nearly any other mid-range EV at this price range. 'Taken as a whole, the bZ Woodland fills an obvious hole in the current EV landscape.' But it still seems to provide all the comforts and conveniences you'd want from a smaller mid-sized EV around town. Its main competitor for outdoorsy-minded buyers interested in switching to a full EV is the recently revealed Trailseeker. In many ways, it's just a Subaru-flavored version of the same vehicle. The upcoming Rivian R3 is another vehicle that could meet a similar balance of needs, albeit with a different body style. But that vehicle may not hit the market until 2027. Neither brand can match Toyota's reputation for reliability, value, performance, or ground footprint in terms of local dealership presence. The bZ Woodland will arrive in the U.S. in 'early 2026'. Toyota hasn't yet shared official pricing for the Z Woodland. Still, it's safe to estimate that the vehicle will land near or around the high $40 to $50k range based on comps to the current bZ4X – presuming U.S. tariffs don't dramatically impact our rough math. Learn More
