Did You Hear? is a weekly examination of headlines in the entertainment industry and a take on what they could mean for the future of the industry and (often), the little geeky bubble that we occupy.
Runaways Season 2 Trailer
While the Marvel Netflix Universe is ending, Hulu is in an upswing:
Marvel’s Runaways: Season 2 Trailer (Official) | A Hulu Original
We hold the power now. Marvel’s Runaways returns December 21, only on Hulu. ► Subscribe to Marvel: http://bit.ly/WeO3YJFollow Marvel on Twitter: https://twi…
Voltron Final Season Trailer
The final season is here …
Season 8 Trailer | DREAMWORKS VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER
The end has come, but the legend lives on forever. The final season of Voltron Legendary Defender begins streaming on Netflix December 14th! Join the fun on …
Daredevil: the Man Without a Netflix Show
We all knew this was coming. In previous Did You Hear? installments I’ve written about the cancellation of Iron Fist and Luke Cage and more than once about the Disney+ streaming service. The writing has been on the wall. All of the Marvel Netflix shows were living on borrowed time. Yesterday Deadline exclusively broke that flagship Marvel Netflix show – and fan favourite – Daredevil has been cancelled.
Netflix stated early this morning:
We look forward to more adventures with the Man without Fear in the future.
… and there have already been rumours swirling about where Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, specifically, is going to land over on the Disney side of the line. Personally, I hope this is the case. I would love to see this particular version of Daredevil integrated into some version of a larger Marvel Universe that does not include the so-called Defenders. With the Disney+ service set to launch in the ambiguous future there’s a good chance the lineup of new shows Disney is going to launch with will be shooting in the next year, so there’s actually not much time left between the announcement of this cancelation and a confirmation coming our way about Matt Murdock’s future.
AMC Renews Preacher
Over on the other side of the comic book divide, Vertigo’s Preacher television show starring former Marvel 
actor Domnic Cooper, Ruth Negga, and Joseph Gilgun which landed on AMC alongside The Walking Dead has been renewed for a fourth season, per Variety.
President of Programming of Entertainment for AMC Networks, David Madden, had this to say:
’Preacher’ is a show unlike any other on television. A passionate base of fans found their way to Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy and have followed along with their adventures, at times indescribable adventures, for three seasons. We are thankful to our partners at Sony and to Seth, Evan and Sam for everything they have brought to this series, which we are pleased to renew for a fourth season. Like the superfans of Preacher, we can’t wait to see where this journey leads next.
“passionate base” is a good way to describe the fans behind Preacher. In spite of the stelling cast, the show often flies under the radar and, I’ll admit it, I thought the show had been cancelled following the third season. Given the fact that the announcement of Preacher’s renewal comes just one day after the announcement of producers Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg would be adapting Console Wars one wonders how much this new clout affected the decision to give Preacher a fourth season.
Blade Runner to be Adapted into an Animated Series
Amidst the current trend of popular anime shows being adapted into live action or given new seasons at popular streaming service Variety reports Blade Runner is also getting in on the animated action. Currently titled Blade Runner-Black Lotus, the show will be inspired by the characters and aesthetics of the modern installment, Blade Runner 2049.
Alcon Television Group, Adult Swim, and Crunchyroll have come together to produce and distribute the show, which will be made up of 13 half hour episodes. Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama have been tapped to direct the pilot episode. This is the same team heading up the Ghost in the Shell reboot set to drop before Blade Runner-Black Lotus. Shinichiro Watanabe has been tapped as Creative Producer. He has already dipped a toe in the Blade Runner universe having written and directed Blade Runner Black Out 2022 on which Aramaki served in the art department.
Blade Runner fans, if you are based in the United States make sure you have access to Adult Swim’s Toonami block or internationally, get your Crunchyroll subscriptions up to date!
Several representatives have released statements including: Senior Vice President and Creative Director of Adult Swim On-Air Content, Jason DeMarco
I first saw ‘Blade Runner’ in 1982, at age 11. It has remained one of the defining films of my life. To be able to explore more of this universe, with the incredible talent we have on board, is a dream come true.
From Crunchyroll’s Head of Business Development, Sae Whan:
’Blade Runner’ is a seminal work, and its influence permeates the genre. Adult Swim shares our excitement to bring this new series to fans, and we’re looking forward to building on this franchise together.
No further details have been released about the content of Blade Runner-Black Lotus, although in the wake of the popularity of Blade Runner 2049 I think the first season is poised to pull in the views and it’s left up to the creatives and the content they create as to whether the show has a potential shelf-life.
Cowboy Bebop gets Live Action Adaptation at Netflix
Going the opposite way from Blade Runner, the long-rumoured live action adaptation of popular anime series Cowboy Bebop has landed at Netflix according to Variety:
The series is described as the jazz-inspired, genre-bending story of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine and Radical Ed, a rag-tag crew of bounty hunters on the run from their pasts as they hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals. They’ll even save the world for the right price.
The very same Shinichiro Watanabe who I was writing about in the previous segment director the original Cowboy Bebop anime and will come aboard the live action project as a consultant. He is joined by Christopher Yost (Thor: the Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok scribte), in the role of Executive Producer and will write the pilot episode. Sunrise Inc, the original studio, returns to executively produce alongside Netflix and Tomorrow Studios.
While nothing else is known about the series, social media is already on fire with the fan community debating whether or not Cowboy Bebop or Avatar: the Last Airbender will thrive in the live action world, rather than hoping both will turn out amazing.
No Christmas Episode for Doctor Who, Instead: New Year’s
The BBC has announced Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor will not be appearing in the traditional Doctor Who Christmas Special in her first year with us, instead she will be getting a New Year’s Special. In the wake of this announcement fans have shied away from reading too much into the implication by spinning theories like new gender, new year or the year is getting reborn and women give birth the way I, truly, expected us to. In place of these metaphors a ton of attention has been laid at the feet of Thirteen’s scarf and how much it does or does not look like Four’s.
At the end of the day, fandoms will always surprise me.
The New Year’s special will be written by showrunner Chris Chibnall and directed by series staple Wayne Yip. Nothing more is known about the content of the episode, but I think we’re pretty safe assuming all three companions will also appear.
Rebellion Constructs Massive New Studio Space in Oxford
United Kingdom-based production studio Rebellion sent out a press release earlier this week announcing a massive studio construction project they are undertaking in Oxford, England:
Rebellion, one of Europe’s leading media companies, has bought a $100m, 220,000 sq ft facility to convert into a film studio near to its Oxford headquarters. This ambitious expansion by the independent company, which is already one of the UK’s biggest producers of video games, comic books, books, film and TV, is set to create up to 500 new jobs across Britain’s film and television industry in the coming years …
… The new studio, located on the site of an old printing press, is just outside of the city of Oxford – a city steeped in cultural history and which has already served as the backdrop to Hollywood blockbusters, including the Harry Potter franchise. With multiple sound stages, the largest reaching 25,000 sq ft in size, the new facilities can accommodate productions from TV drama to large scale Hollywood productions.
The purchase marks the opening of Rebellion’s second film studio and will operate alongside its original 3-stage studio, home to Europe’s largest performance capture stage and Rebellion’s world-renowned motion-capture company Audiomotion.”
Rebellion is working on the upcoming Mega-City One Judge Dredd television drama which will be the first 
production shot in this new space. Some of their past projects have included: World War Z, A Monster Calls, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Maleficent, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Iron Man 2, and The Watchmen.
From across the pond we often consider Pinewood to be the only major studio working in the United Kingdom (the power of Star Wars is real), and this construction feels like a big move on behalf of Rebellion to establish themself as a major player on the same scale.
Stephen Hillenburg has Passed Away
We just want to take a moment at the end of this article to acknowledge the passing of Spongbob Squarepants creator, Stephen Hilenburg. He passed away after a battle with ALS. His work in animated touched generations of viewers. There’s really not enough good things to be written about him.
Nickelodean released the following statement:
We are incredibly saddened by the news that Steve Hillenburg has passed away following a battle with ALS. He was a beloved friend and long-time creative partner to everyone at Nickelodeon, and our hearts go out to his entire family. Steve imbued ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ with a unique sense of humor and innocence that has brought joy to generations of kids and families everywhere. His utterly original characters and the world of Bikini Bottom will long stand as a reminder of the value of optimism, friendship and the limitless power of imagination.
In honour of his life, we here at Major Spoilers recommend revisiting some of your favourite work by Hillenburg and sharing it with some young people in your life.
