Welcome back to The Rundown, our daily breakdown on comic news stories we missed from the previous day. Have a link to share? Email our team at rundown@multiversitycomics.com.
In case you missed it, Harriet Jacobs’s autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl has been adapted into a manga, “Sweet Tooth: The Return” heads to DC Black Label, John Ridley’s long-awaited “The Other History of the DC Universe” is coming this November, and AfterShock announced the sequel series “Undone by Blood: or The Other Side of Eden.” We also had an exclusive preview of comic book attorney Gamal Hennessy’s upcoming book The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing.
– The TKO Studios graphic novel “The Banks” from Roxane Gay, Ming Doyle, and Jordie Bellaire is being set up for a film adaptation. Via Variety, Gay will write the film’s script, with the production company Macro Studios on board to shepherd the project. Published in 2019, “The Banks” follows three generations of Black female master thieves in Chicago. To avenge the loss of a loved one, the women must settle their differences to embark on the heist of a lifetime. “I am thrilled to revisit the world of ‘The Banks.’ Clara, Cora, and Celia Banks are fierce women with compelling stories that will really come alive on the silver screen,” Gay said in a statement.
– Disney has sent a message to exhibitors announcing the day that (in theory) tickets for The New Mutants will finally go on sale. Via CBR, the long delayed film is still on track for an August 28 release date, with tickets set to be available for purchase on August 18. It is currently unclear how many theaters would be able — or willing — to show the film, as CNBC reports that about 50% of the world’s theaters are still closed. More than 90% of the open theaters are outside of the U.S. The August 28 release date would make The New Mutants the first major wide release to open domestically since March.
– From IGN, G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout, a new team-based third person shooter, is coming to PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. The video game will feature 12 playable characters from both the Joes and Cobra, with an original 18-mission single-player, or local split-screen co-op campaign, based on the ’80s comics. It also features a variety of PvP modes including Capture the Flag, Assault and King of the Hill. You can check out the reveal trailer here.
– Avatar: The Last Airbender series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will be departing from their role as showrunners for the previously announced live-action Netflix adaptation of the animated series. Both DiMartino and Konietzko provided statements on social media breaking the news, both expressing disappointment at the progression of the project, citing creative conflicts with the streaming service, and a lack of support for their vision. “Whatever version ends up on the screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make,” DiMartino said on Instagram.
Konietzko expanded: “When Netflix brought me on board to write this series two years ago, they made a very public promise to support our vision. Unfortunately, there was no public follow-through on that promise.” A spokesperson for Netflix offered a brief comment on the news as well. “We have complete respect and admiration for Michael and Bryan and the story that they created in the Avatar animated series,” their statement reads. “Although they have chosen to depart the live action project, we are confident in the creative team and their adaptation.” No replacement for the duo has been announced.
– Actor Ray Fisher has provided some additional context for his comments accusing Justice League producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg of allowing director Joss Whedon to create a toxic work environment on set, when he took over the project from Zack Snyder. Fisher, who played Cyborg in the film, posted on Twitter detailing a confrontation where Johns called him to his office to “belittle and admonish [his] attempts to take grievances up the proper chain of command,” before allegedly threatening Fisher’s career. Fisher will appear next year in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the HBO Max release that will rework the film to be closer to Snyder’s originally intended vision.
– From The Hollywood Reporter, an upcoming film from Warner Bros. Animation will take The Dark Knight back to the ’70s. Batman: Soul of the Dragon, an original story that doesn’t adapt a specific existing comic, will find Batman facing down a deadly menace from his past with the help of martial artists Richard Dragon, Ben Turner and Lady Shiva. The cast includes David Giuntoli as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Mark Dacascos as Richard Dragon, Kelly Hu as Lady Shiva, Michael Jai White as Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger, James Hong as O-Sensei, and Josh Keaton as Jeffrey Burr. Batman: Soul of the Dragon is due for release sometime in early 2021.
– Via CBR, a deal is in the works for WarnerMedia (and parent company AT&T) to sell the anime streamer Crunchyroll to Sony. According to the exclusive report from The Information, the deal is far from certain, with much of the hold-up being caused by Sony balking at AT&T’s $1.5 billion asking price. Although Crunchyroll appears to be a valuable brand, the reason for the sale is likely due to WarnerMedia’s significant debt, which currently stands at $151 billion. WarnerMedia’s financial troubles have already been in the news this week, after significant cuts and corporate restructuring saw massive layoffs across many of their subsidiaries, including DC Comics and DC Universe.
