Media Hijinks - Resurrecting the Dead

First up this week on Media Hijinks, it looks like bad news for those that were holding their breath for the upcoming Batman vs. Superman flick.  For no reason whatsoever (or none that they care to discuss), the folks at DC/WB have decided to push the release date for this highly anticipated movie back an entire year.  No longer will we be able to see it in July of 2015, but instead must wait for May 6^th of 2016.  And while it won’t be competing with Avengers 2 during the summer release schedule, its new release date does happen to fall on the exact same day as one of Marvel’s “unnamed” projects.  Now we get to sit around and enjoy another year of casting rumors and wait to see whether Disney or WB blinks first regarding the coveted date.

Second up, some potentially annoying news for fans of Dexter.  It looks like the folks at Showtime are still holding out that they may get a chance to reboot the show or create some sort of spin-off.  Dexter fans may remember that the last few seasons didn’t run so smoothly and that the series was pretty much dead by the time it ended.  Still, Showtime wants more dollars from the franchise.  Luckily, it has been said that there will be no continuation unless Michael C. Hall agrees to take part.  So, as long as he doesn’t fall on hard times, we can breathe a sigh of relief that this travesty won’t take place.

Third up, some good news for Batman fans.  Finally, after decades, the original 1960s Batman television series will be available for people to buy on DVD and Blu-ray.  Yes, you too can enjoy the antics of Adam West and Burt Ward along with all their cheesy enemies.  Personally, I will never understand why they delay these sorts of things, especially when they know there are millions of bat-geeks eagerly awaiting the chance to make such a purchase.

And finally, one more interesting thing that I have been observing.  For those that saw Iron Man 3, you may remember the character of The Mandarin, played excellently if not accurately by the amazing Ben Kingsley.  You may also remember that he ended up being a huge pile of BS.  For fans of comic books, this was a blow to the heart.  The original Mandarin is an awesome villain that should be utilized in a better fashion than what they put together.  Of course, who says that he won’t be?

It seems as if the folks at Marvel have put together a 12-minute short starring none other than Kingsley as Trevor (aka The Mandarin).  They’re throwing it onto the back of the upcoming Thor: The Dark World DVD/Blu-ray release.  All this makes me pretty damn certain that they’ll be bringing the character back, although I’m guessing that this time it will be in a more villainous capacity.  With the upcoming Doctor Strange movie already planned for release, we could see Kingsley starring as the main baddie.  Which, of course, would be one of the most wonderful things in the entire world.

Oh, and another rumor going around - apparently Johnny Depp is being eyed for the role of Doctor Strange.  Oddly enough, this doesn’t upset me as much as it probably should.  Am I just getting jaded?  You can read more about that rumor at this site.

Until next time, watch more Arrow.  It’s good for you, like nutritional food or exercise or something similar.

Photo Credits -

Kingsley Mandarin courtesy of nerdbastards.com