These days you can plan your entire movie-going schedule months and years in advance. Companies like Marvel and DC have films scheduled into 2020 and beyond. Well, it is time to add another release to the calendar. Universal Pictures announced a June 28, 2019, premiere date for its upcoming action film, Cowboy Ninja Viking.
Chris Pratt is set to star in the film, embodying the lead hero, Duncan — an assassin who can draw upon the combat skills of three different archetypal warriors: The cowboy, ninja, and viking. Duncan is just one in a group of many similar assassins, all of which draw on the powers of other warrior trios. The film is an adaptation of the 2009 graphic novel of the same name written by A.J. Lieberman and illustrated by Riley Rossmo.
The announcement comes after a moment of uncertainty regarding the film’s director. John Wick directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch were originally set to direct the film, but both had to drop off due to conflicts with other projects. Stahelski is busy with pre-production on the next John Wick film, and Leitch is directing the upcoming Deadpool 2.
While Cowboy Ninja Viking still lacks a director, and no other candidates for taking the helm have been mentioned, the confirmation of a premiere date at least gives the impression Universal is committing to the project, so hopefully it is only a matter of time until we finally hear something more.
Universal has a number of other notable upcoming films aside from Cowboy Ninja Viking. Jurassic World 2: Fallen Kingdom, another Pratt-starring action flick, premiering on June 22, 2018, and Pacific Rim: Uprising will be opening on March 23, 2018. Further down the line, the next films in Universal monster universe, which began with the Tom Cruise-starring reboot of The Mummy will begin to roll out and will include iconic characters like Frankenstein, Van Helsing, and The Wolfman.
Hopefully, all these upcoming roles serve as at least a small point of optimism for Pratt, who recently made a joint statement along with Anna Faris announcing their separation after eight years of marriage.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.