Set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland Snowpiercer centers on the remnants of humanity, who inhabit a 1001 car, perpetually-moving train that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out in this riveting television adaptation based on the acclaimed movie and graphic novel series of the same name. The show stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs.
The television series is based on the graphic novel series and film from Academy Award winner Bong Joon Ho and premieres May 17.
With Snowpiercer coming to television on May 17, Titan Comics has put together the official Snowpiercer universe timeline. The aid pieces together the original comic series, the prequel comic series, the movie, and the upcoming television show.
Timed for the television show, Titan is releasing the graphic novels in new softcover editions.
The television series stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs in this adaptation on class warfare, social injustice, and the politics of survival playing out amongst the remnants of humanity – who inhabit a perpetually moving train with 1001 cars that circles the globe. It’s based on the graphic novel series and film from Oscar Winner Bong Joon Ho.
Check out the timeline and some previews of each series.
SNOWPIERCER THE PREQUEL: EXTINCTION
Written by Matz Illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette 9781785868832, HC, $19.99 On sale now
The Snowpiercer saga continues with this brand new story by original artist Jean-Marc Rochette and Eisner nominated writer, Matz. Set before the extinction event that caused the new ice age in which the Snowpiercer travels perpetually around the globe, witness the terrifying events that led to the need for and creation of the eponymous train.
Written by Jacques Lob Illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette 9781787734425, SC, $14.99 On sale 6/2/2020
On a future, frozen Earth, a train that never stops circumnavigates the globe. On board: all of humanity that we could save from the great disaster that wrapped the planet in ice. At the front of the train, the survivors live in comfort and luxury – at the rear, their lives are worse than cattle, trapped in the squalid dark. When one of the occupants of the tail breaks through into the main train – all hell follows in his wake!
Written by Benjamin Legrand Illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette 9781787734432, SC, $19.99 On sale 6/30/2020
It has long been thought that Snowpiercer was the last bastion of human civilization… but there is another train. Coursing through the endless, wintry night, its occupants live in a constant state of terror that they will collide with the train that went before… From this second train emerges a small group of the passengers who are willing to risk their lives in the deadly cold to explore what’s left of our world.
Written by Olivier Bocquet Illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette Publisher: Titan Comics 9781787734449, SC, $24.99 On sale 7/21/2020
On a future, frozen Earth, humanity has been packed onto self-sustaining trains, doomed to circumnavigate the globe until the end of the interminable ice age – or until the engines give out.
When a scrap of music piques their interest, the inhabitants of the Icebreaker take the ultimate risk and cross the frozen ocean, a vast expanse with no train tracks… and no way to return to them.
August 2020 will see the Snowpiercer saga continue with Snowpiercer: The Prequel Part 2: Apocalypse HC – the second chapter of Titan’s new prequel trilogy by original artist Jean-Marc Rochette and Eisner nominated writer, Matz.
SNOWPIERCER: THE PREQUEL PART 2: APOCALYPSE
Written by Matz Illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette 9781787730328, HC, $19.99 On sale 8/25/2020
After the extinction event that caused the new ice age, the train Snowpiercer travels perpetually around the globe, with the last survivors of humanity learning to come to terms with their new reality.
The highly anticipated television adaptation Snowpiercer gets a second trailer. In it, we see the class warfare and fight for survival to come.
Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly and Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs star in this adaptation on class warfare, social injustice, and the politics of survival playing out amongst the remnants of humanity – who inhabit a perpetually moving train with 1001 cars that circles the globe.
This television adaptation is based on the graphic novel series and film from Oscar Winner Bong Joon Ho and premieres May 17.
The original graphic novels were written by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, Olivier Bouquet, and Alexis Nolent with art by Jean-Marc Rochette. The series was created by Lob and Rochette.
Originally published in 1982 by Casterman, the graphic novels received an English translation in 2014 and was published by Titan Comics.
TBS is bringing its highly anticipated sci-fi thrillerSnowpiercer to San Diego for Comic-Con International 2019. On Saturday, July 20, TBS will present a panel featuring stars Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, Alison Wright, Mickey Sumner, Lena Hall, Steven Ogg and executive producer and showrunner Graeme Manson in the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront. The session will include an exclusive first look at the series premiere, which will debut in Spring of 2020 on TBS.
Set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, Snowpiercer centers on the remnants of humanity, who inhabit a gigantic, perpetually moving train that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out in this riveting television adaptation based on the acclaimed movie of the same name. The series was renewed for season two prior to the season one premiere.
Panelists: Stars Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, Alison Wright, Mickey Sumner, Lena Hall, Steven Ogg and executive producer and showrunner Graeme Manson Moderator: Entertainment Weekly’s Clark Collis Date: Saturday, July 20, 3:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. Location: Hilton Bayfront, Indigo Ballroom Other attendees: Executive producers Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios
Snowpiercer is produced by Tomorrow Studios (a joint venture between Marty Adelstein and ITV Studios), along with CJ Entertainment, who produced the original film. The series is executive produced by Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements; showrunner Graeme Manson, who wrote the first episode; director James Hawes; Matthew O’Connor; Scott Derrickson, and the original film’s producers Bong Joon Ho, Miky Lee, Tae-sung Jeong, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Dooho Choi.
From Academy Award winners James Cameron and Jon Landau, and visionary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez comes Alita: Battle Angel, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. You can add the film to your Digital collection on Movies Anywhere July 9 and buy it on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD July 23.
When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this discarded cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. When deadly and corrupt forces come after Alita, she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
The action-packed film, also starring Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, and Keenan Johnson, has scored $405 million at the global box-office.
Now with hours of extensive special features the home entertainment release takes you behind-the-scenes with James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez to see the journey from Manga to Screen and what it took to bring Alita to life. Plus, go deeper into the universe of Alita: Battle Angel, where you’ll learn about the past, the characters of the present, and the thrilling sport of Motorball.
Alita: Battle Angel Blu-ray Special Features
Alita’s World – get a deeper look into the world of Alita: Battle Angel with these dynamic motion comics.
The Fall – a look back at the terrible war that almost destroyed two planets and set the stage for the cyborg warrior Alita’s return 300 years later.
Iron City – Hugo gives a guided tour of the Iron City he knows, showing off its dark corners and broken-down neighborhoods.
What it Means to be a Cyborg – hunter-warrior Zapan tracks his mark across Iron City while musing about what it means to be a cyborg.
Rules of the Game – A high-octane “crash course” in Motorball, introducing the rules, game-play, and the top-ranked players and their arsenal of weapons.
From Manga to Screen – a behind-the-scenes look into the origins of Yukito Kishiro’s beloved manga, “Gunnm,” and the long road to bring it to life on the big screen.
Evolution of Alita – how Alita was brought to life, from the casting of Rosa Salazar, to performance capture, and final VFX by WETA Digital.
Motorball – go inside Iron City’s favorite pastime, from the origins and evolution of the sport, to rules on how the game is played.
James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez and cast Q&A moderated by Jon Landau.
Robert Rodriguez’s 10 Minute Cooking School: Chocolate – a cooking lesson on how to make delicious chocolate like that seen in the movie.
2005 Art Compilation (2019) – James Cameron’s original compilation of concept art for the then-titled “Battle Angel: Alita,” presented with new voiceover and music.
Scene Deconstruction – view three different stages of the production – the original live action performance capture, the animation stage, and the final Weta VFX from four different scenes
I Don’t Even Know My Own Name
Just an Insignificant Girl
I’m a Warrior Aren’t I?
Kansas Bar
Alita: Battle Angel DVD Special Features
Alita’s World – get a deeper look into the world of Alita: Battle Angel with these dynamic motion comics.
The Fall – a look back at the terrible war that almost destroyed two planets and set the stage for the cyborg warrior Alita’s return 300 years later.
Iron City – Hugo gives a guided tour of the Iron City he knows, showing off its dark corners and broken-down neighborhoods.
What it Means to be a Cyborg – hunter-warrior Zapan tracks his mark across Iron City while musing about what it means to be a cyborg.
Rules of the Game – A high-octane “crash course” in Motorball, introducing the rules, game-play, and the top-ranked players and their arsenal of weapons.
From Manga to Screen – a behind-the-scenes look into the origins of Yukito Kishiro’s beloved manga, “Gunnm,” and the long road to bring it to life on the big screen.
Alita: Battle Angel Digital Special Features
Alita’s World – get a deeper look into the world of Alita: Battle Angel with these dynamic motion comics.
The Fall – a look back at the terrible war that almost destroyed two planets and set the stage for the cyborg warrior Alita’s return 300 years later.
Iron City – Hugo gives a guided tour of the Iron City he knows, showing off its dark corners and broken-down neighborhoods.
What it Means to be a Cyborg – hunter-warrior Zapan tracks his mark across Iron City while musing about what it means to be a cyborg.
Rules of the Game – A high-octane “crash course” in Motorball, introducing the rules, game-play, and the top-ranked players and their arsenal of weapons.
From Manga to Screen – a behind-the-scenes look into the origins of Yukito Kishiro’s beloved manga, “Gunnm,” and the long road to bring it to life on the big screen.
Evolution of Alita – how Alita was brought to life, from the casting of Rosa Salazar, to performance capture, and final VFX by WETA Digital.
Motorball – go inside Iron City’s favorite pastime, from the origins and evolution of the sport, to rules on how the game is played.
Musical Themes – Composer Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL) offers an in-depth examination of the key musical themes of his Alita: Battle Angel score.
Robert Rodriguez’s 10 Minute Cooking School: Chocolate – a cooking lesson on how to make delicious chocolate like that seen in the movie.
Streets of Iron City – Director Robert Rodriguez gives a set tour of Iron City, with cast and crew insights, and a behind-the-scenes look at the city’s creation.
Iron City
Scrapyard
Ido’s Clinic
Cathedral
Ambush Alley
Vector’s Office and the Factory
Kansas Bar
Allies and Adversaries – meet the allies and adversaries that Alita encounters in Iron City.
Zapan
Dr. Dyson Ido
Grewishka
Nyssiana
Romo
McTeague
Vector
Chiren
Hugo
James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez and cast Q&A, moderated by producer Jon Landau.
Production Materials – explore the initial vision for the movie with art reels from 2005 and 2016.
2005 Art Compilation (2019) – James Cameron’s original compilation of concept art for the then-titled “Battle Angel: Alita,” presented with new voiceover and music.
2016 Art Reel – Lightstorm Entertainment and Robert Rodriguez’s 2016 compilation of concept art reflecting the design of the final film.
Scene Deconstruction – view three different stages of the production – the original live action performance capture, the animation stage, and the final Weta VFX cut from four different scenes
Visionary filmmakers James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez create a groundbreaking new heroine in Alita: Battle Angel, an action-packed story of hope, love and empowerment based on Yukito Kishiro’s Battle Angel Alita (and in Japan as Gunnm) manga.
Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. Everything is new to Alita, every experience a first. As she learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield Alita from her mysterious past while her street-smart new friend, Hugo (Keean Johnson), offers instead to help trigger her memories. A growing affection develops between the two until deadly forces come after Alita and threaten her newfound relationships. It is then that Alita discovers she has extraordinary fighting abilities that could be used to save the friends and family she’s grown to love. Determined to uncover the truth behind her origin, Alita sets out on a journey that will lead her to take on the injustices of this dark, corrupt world, and discover that one young woman can change the world in which she lives.
The film is directed by Robert Rodriguez from a screenplay by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis and Robert Rodriguez. The film stars Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, and Keean Johnson.
Josh Brolin’s head firefighter Eric Marsh tells a story of being caught in a wildfire and a bear on fire running out and past them and it being the most terrible and beautiful thing he’s ever seen, which features prominently in the film’s trailer. It’s as apt a metaphor as any for this well-intentioned but ultimately cliched and manipulative film.
Telling the “based on a true” story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, Only the Bravesuffers first and foremost from a terrible and trite title. (Shouldn’t they have just called it “Bear on Fire”? That’s at least interesting.)
The rest of the script doesn’t get much better, including its tagline “It’s not what stands in front of you, it’s who stands beside you.” I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean. It’s so obvious that it sounds like it’s trying to sound deep, but a similar sentiment could be expressed more powerfully and in fewer words.
So much of the script feels like it was written by a computer trying to sound deep, self-important and patriotic. Some of it lands. Some of it is groan-worthy.
This is a big slab of red meat served up rare for red state audiences who loved American Sniper, 13 Hours, and so on. Who doesn’t love and respect the heroism and rugged manliness of firefighters? Apparently, this jaded liberal.
The film would be so much better if it wasn’t so obvious about everything. An early scene is a travel montage as the firefighter crew gets together to go out on a job. Set to AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top if You Want To Rock and Roll” it’s hard not to enjoy a good song and the working class hero vibe they’re setting. But then as Bon Scott sings “Riding down the highway!” they cut to a shot of them. . . riding down the highway. And that, maybe even more than the flaming bear, is the best explanation of the film.
Also grating is the presence of charisma black hole Miles Teller. As much fun and down home gravitas as the presence of Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges bring, Teller sucks it all up and ruins it. Teller is also apparently not acting, as he simply shows up playing a stoner douchebro who wants to join the squad to help turn his life around. He is also really the only one of the team, besides Brolin’s character, with any discernible character arc.
This is all so sad, because Brolin, Bridges, and the other supporting cast actually do good work. Even more phenomenal is Jennifer Connelly, playing Brolin’s wife. As the only woman in the cast with more than a few seconds of screen time, she’s expected to stand in for all women in the film, and she delivers.
But this is one of the biggest problems with the film. While it’s absolutely true that the Granite Mountain Hotshots were an all-white, all-male crew, and their story would not be served best by erasing that fact, it’s worth asking why only one female character has any real agency or purpose outside of being an adjunct to a man.
And why is this story being told that features the heroism of white men, rather than another story that might tell about the heroism of other communities? Why are the contributions and sacrifices of women kept behind the scenes?
Still, I’m a firm believer in the aphorism that you should meet a movie where it’s at and what it was trying to accomplish, not judge it based on what it isn’t. And based on that metric, Only the Brave does well. Its aim is low, and it meets those expectations– like a giant greasy chicken fried steak dinner served at a down home restaurant. Its visuals and human drama are real, even if strained by a barrage of cliches. And as much as Tellar tries to drag the movie down, Connelly, Brolin, and Bridges do their best to elevate this story to honor the sacrifices of these men and their families.
It was new comic book day yesterday. What’d folks get? What’d you like? What’d you dislike? Sound off in the comments. While you think about that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.
Josh Brolin’s head firefighter Eric Marsh tells a story of being caught in a wildfire and a bear on fire running out and past them and it being the most terrible and beautiful thing he’s ever seen, which 
It was new comic book day yesterday. What’d folks get? What’d you like? What’d you dislike? Sound off in the comments. While you think about that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.