Welcome to this week’s PUNCHLIST, where we round up the biggest news in nerd culture. It might be from the MCU, board gaming, D&D, and more. But whatever the news is this week, we’ll give it to you in a punchy format.
7. Marvel Announced Knights of the Old Republic Omnibus
Available on July 7th and retailing for $125, the Knights of the Old Republic Omnibus Vol 1 spans a total of 1,344 pages and includes the following Dark Horse KotR titles:
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #1-50
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – War #1-5
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Handbook
- and “material from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion #0.”
+ More here: Knights of the Old Republic Omnibus
6. Ava DuVernay’s Diversity Database Backed by Warner Bros, Netflix, and More
DuVernay’s non-profit Array Alliance created a diversity database aimed an ensuring more women and people of color are hired on for the production process of major films. Their list exceeds 2,500 people; each of whom have “at least one verifiable credit.” The aim is to refute the “We looked everywhere but didn’t find a diverse choice” excuse, and the database has received investments from Warner Bros., Disney, Netflix, and Sony.
+ More here: Array Alliance Diversity Database
5. Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord Confirmed for Thor: Love and Thunder
Pratt confirmed he was heading to Australia this week to film scenes for Thor: Love and Thunder, which may indicate that the Guardians of the Galaxy are playing more than a bit part or featuring as a cameo; or at the very least that Star-Lord will feature in a larger capacity.
+ More here: Star-Lord Joins Thor: Love and Thunder
4. YouTube Viewers Consumed Over 100 Billions Hours of Gaming Content in 2020
2020 set another video gaming record: Number of hours of video gaming content consumed on YouTube. In its annual report, YouTube revealed that over 100 billion viewing hours were logged on video game content (that’s 11.4 million years worth of hours, by the way), with Minecraft receiving the most views. Millions of dollars were raised for charity by video game content creators, as well. You can read the full report below:
+ More here: YouTube Video Game Streaming Statistics
3. DC Is Planning Two Separate Batman Franchises
DC Films President Walter Hamada confirmed that they’re planning to move forward with two separate and distinct Batman franchises. We’ve already got two Batmans (Batmen…?) running around in Affleck and Pattinson, but there’s no confirmation as of yet that they will represent the two directions the Caped Crusader will go in the future. Hamada explained that while this has never been done, “audiences are sophisticated enough to understand it.”
+ More Here: Hamada Confirms Two Batman Franchises
2. France and China Are Developing Their Own Super Soldiers
China has already confirmed testing (and is even suspected of having dabbled in human testing) and France just released a report outline procedures they believe “will enhance soldiers’ ‘physical, cognitive, perceptive and psychological capacities.'” Science fiction is ditching the latter half of its moniker as the things of yesterday’s imagination become tomorrow’s reality.
+ More here: Real Life Super Soldiers
1. Star Wars High Republic
The multimedia Star Wars endeavor The High Republic released an official trailer this week! Catch it below:
Check back next Wednesday for more news for nerds.
Tabletop Takeaways: Tips for Dungeon Masters with a Narrative Spin