March 29, 2024

Web and Technology News

VIZ Manga subscription service releases English chapters the same time Japan gets them

VIZ Media has launched a new service that will make English versions of the latest chapters of select manga titles available to subscribers as soon as they’re released in Japan. The service, called VIZ Manga, features manga published by Shogakugan and …

Netflix is producing a live action ‘My Hero Academia’ movie

Netflix’s penchant for live-action manga remakes isn’t going away any time soon. The streaming service has revealed that it’s partnering with Legendary Entertainment on a live action My Hero Academia movie. Anime and manga adaptation veteran Shinsuke Sato (Alice in Borderland, Bleach) will both direct and executive produce, while Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s Joby Harold is writing the screenplay.

The manga and the anime it fostered both revolve around Deku, a boy who aches to join the UA High School and become a superhero despite missing the natural powers that most humans have by that point. Both the manga and the still-running anime offshoot have been successful, with the manga racking up over 65 million sales so far.

There’s no mention of casting or a release window for the Netflix project. Toho, which handles the anime, will distribute the movie to Japanese theatres. As IndieWireexplains, this comes four years after Legendary said a movie was in the works.

As with earlier adaptations, Netflix has multiple incentives to create a My Hero Academia title. It’s tapping into a large fanbase, sometimes for anime productions it already offers. This also gives it a way to reel in customers who would otherwise stick to anime-centric rivals like Crunchyroll, which recently lowered prices in some countries.

Whether or not it’ll be worth watching is another matter. Netflix doesn’t have the best track record for live action takes on manga and anime. The Cowboy Bebop series misunderstood its source material and generally struggled despite a top-tier cast and intriguing premise. There’s also the question of the format. A movie doesn’t allow as much room for story development as an episodic show, so My Hero Academia may have to rush through the narrative.

Disney+ is working on a ‘Daredevil’ series

Daredevil fans who were disappointed when Netflix axed the popular show after three seasons now have something to look forward to. Disney+ is moving forward with its own series about the blind lawyer-turned-superhero Matt Murdock, reportedVariety. The streaming service has signed co-writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord to write and executive produce the series. Corman and Ord served as co-showrunners for the NBC military drama The Brave, and the duo also created the spy drama Covert Affairs.

Daredevil is only the latest of a large number of MCU titles that have been revived on Disney+ as shows, starting with last year’s WandaVision. The streamer has since released six other Marvel shows, including Hawkeye, Moonknight and Loki, with many more to follow this year. Meanwhile, the raft of Netflix shows based on Marvel characters all left the streaming platform’s library for good earlier this year.

The Daredevil Disney+ show is still in the very early stages — Variety notes that Marvel has yet to announce anything formally. Charlie Cox, who played the lead character in the Netflix series, returned to his old role in this year’s Spider-Man:No Way Home and Vincent D’Onofrio reprised his Daredevil role of Kingpin in Disney’s Hawkeye. Both actors seemed optimistic about a Disney+ revival of the series, but there’s no telling if they’ll return to the new series.

In an interview with Marvel News Desk, D’Onofrio shed some light on the Netflix show’s sudden cancellation, which shocked its many fans. The actor said the show’s departure in 2018 likely had to do with Marvel paving the way for Disney’s nascent streaming service. “You know, at the same time the group #SaveDaredevil started to rise, we started to learn the reasons why that happened and so we understood what Marvel was doing because Disney+ coming out.”

DC Universe Infinite is finally available outside of the US

After being converted from a streaming video service into a portal for comic books last year, DC Universe Infinite is finally rolling out to regions outside of the US this spring and summer.

Today, DC Comics announced that the service is now available in Canada, with support for Australia and New Zealand arriving later this week on March 29th. After that, the UK will get access on April 28th, followed by availability in Brazil and Mexico sometime later this summer. 

DC Comics says subscribers in other countries will have the same access to the service’s library of more than 25,000 comics books as those in the US, including early access to new Digital First comics such as Suicide Squad: King Shark and others. And just like in the US, new editions of printed comics will be added to the service six months after first going on sale in retail stores. 

Meanwhile, to sweeten the deal, DC Comics is introducing discounted pricing for anyone who signs up during the first 30 days of DC Universe Inifinite’s launch in their country, with customers able to keep that
reduced pricing for as long as they maintain a paid subscription. So while prices vary a bit by region, you’ll generally be looking at savings of around 30 to 35 percent if you take advantage of DC’s introductory pricing.

At launch, an annual subscription to DC Universe Infinite will cost just $59.99 CAD, $64.99 AUD, $64.99 NZD or £36.99 BPS for the next 30 days, before jumping up to its regular price of $89.99 CAD, $99.99 AUD & $99.99 NZD or £54.99 per year. Alternatively, if you prefer to pay month by month, you can do that too with prices starting at $9.99 CAD, $9.99 AUD, $9.99 NZD or £6.99 BPS.

‘Ms. Marvel’ trailer reveals a June 8th premiere on Disney+

Ms. Marvel, one of several Marvel Cinematic Universe shows coming to Disney+ this year, will premiere on June 8th. Disney also revealed a trailer for the series. It centers around Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Pakistani-American whose idol is Captain Marvel.

It’s not too much of a spoiler to say that Kamala gains cosmic powers of her own, such as super strength and a shapeshifting ability, seemingly through mystical bracers. On top of becoming a superhero, Kamala has to contend with more ordinary aspects of life as a teenager, including high school, crushes, career counseling and parents.

Ms. Marvel (who’ll be familiar to those who’ve read the comics or played Marvel’s Avengers) is the MCU’s first Muslim superhero. She’ll also appear in The Marvels, which is scheduled to hit theaters on February 17th, 2023.

Before Ms. Marvel premieres, Moon Knight, which stars Oscar Issac, will debut on March 30th. On Wednesday, all the MCU shows that were previously exclusive to Netflix — including Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage will arrive on Disney+.