What Streaming Service Has Thundercats
Fortun Bawa
So a couple of weeks ago I was watching Atlanta Season 2, and as I'm listening, I heard the hippest of hip music in the background. It was a sound I've known for years but I hadn't heard this specific song. I knew it was either Flying Lotus or Thundercat. So I did a little research and it turns out that they collaborated to make the score for this episode. But no one formally released the song to any streaming platform or youtube. So I took the liberty or leaking the song to youtube and soundcloud. I recorded the audio to my SP404 and I tried my best to remaster the music and get rid of the sibilance. Let me know what y'all think
Michael Bay and Ryan Reynolds are working on a Netflix film titled Six Underground, but a new rumor indicates it may be a secret ThunderCats movie. Bay has been attached to direct Six Underground since the project was announced earlier this year. Little is known about the movie, but it has a script from Deadpool 1 and 2 writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and the cast includes a number of high profile names. Ryan Reynolds is set to star in Six Underground alongside Dave Franco, Mlanie Laurent, Ben Hardy, Corey Hawkins, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Adria Arjona.
When Reynolds joined the project, it was revealed that the script revolves around six billionaires who fake their deaths, then form a team to battle evil. Six Underground is set to be released by Netflix with an eye toward launching a franchise. That desire is reflected in the budget for Six Underground, which is reportedly set at $150 million. While Bay's involvement, Reynolds as the star and the script from Reese and Wernick are enough to get fans excited, a new rumor indicates Six Underground may be something slightly different - an adaptation of a popular '80s cartoon series.
IGN Middle East is reporting that Six Underground is actually a ThunderCats movie directed by Bay and starring Reynolds that will release on Netflix. According to a source close to the production - which is reportedly set to film in Abu Dhabi, UAE in November - the movie is an adaptation of the beloved property and the title Six Underground, along with the revealed premise, are meant to avoid leaks about this secretive project. Nothing else about the movie was revealed, including which characters each of the actors is playing or any plot details.
UPDATE: In a post on Instagram, Michael Bay confirmed Six Underground is currently filming in Florence, Italy. The photo features someone (perhaps Reynolds) scaling down the dome of The Duomo at the Florence Cathedral. Take a look:
Though this rumor should be taken with a major grain of salt, it should be noted that IGN Middle East revealed the information comes from the same source that claimed Simon Pegg had been cast in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, which ultimately turned out to be true. Further, Bay has been attached to a possible ThunderCats movie since 2012, which lends some credence to this rumor.
With that said though, certain aspects of IGN Middle East's report conflict a bit with other reports about production on Six Underground. The GWW reported in July that Six Underground would start filming in August and would shoot in Los Angeles, California and Rome, Italy. Since we know that's the case thanks to Bay's Instagram, it somewhat conflicts with IGN Middle East's report that the movie will film later this year in Abu Dhabi. However, it's entirely possible the project will film across all three locations and through to November.
Further, Bay's ThunderCats movie was originally in the works at Warner Bros., and it's unclear why the director would move the project to Netflix. It's also unclear why the streaming service would give Bay a massive $150 million budget for a secret ThunderCats movie. Netflix is known for their secrecy, only unveiling some movies or TV shows just before their release - like the surprise announcement and debut of The Cloverfield Paradox. But with as big of an undertaking as Six Underground seems to be, keeping its actual plot a secret could prove to be risk. Plus, considering how much excitement they could generate by announcing a ThunderCats movie, it's odd that Netflix would keep it a secret. For now, we'll have to wait for official word from Netflix, Bay or Reynolds to see if Six Underground is really a secret ThunderCats movie.
Once relegated to the status of 1980s nostalgia, the Masters of the Universe brand is currently experiencing a bit of a revival. There's the Netflix series Masters of the Universe: Revelation and its upcoming sequel Masters of the Universe: Revolution, plus a CGI animated series for a new generation. It goes to show how easy it is to bring back a franchise that had been dead, and the same needs to be applied to another classic series.
ThunderCats was one of the last major 1980s cartoon franchises to hit it big, and it's mostly remained defined by that series. Since then, there have been only two attempts to revive it, one of which was particularly controversial. In order to give the Cats their due, care must be taken to respect the source material, all while potentially returning to a short-lived classic from over a decade ago.
As mentioned, He-Man and the other Masters of the Universe were largely seen as remnants of the 1980s. The classic Masters of the Universe cartoon was the epitome of toy commercials of the era, with the character and his arch nemesis Skeletor from the series since going on to be lampooned via internet meme culture. The 1990s He-Man series wasn't a huge hit, namely due to its abandoning sci-fi/fantasy mix and being a pure space opera. On the other hand, the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series from the early 2000s was beloved by fans and collectors at large, though this reception wasn't enough. The lower-than-expected sales for the toys saw the reboot eventually canceled, leaving the franchise dormant for years.
Since then, the Masters of the Universe has slowly begun to be a fixture of pop culture once more. This began with the She-Ra reboot cartoon and continued with the aforementioned new Masters of the Universe shows. Though a Masters of the Universe movie was recently canceled, it was the renewed interest in the property that likely spawned the project to begin with. Now, it would seem that He-Man is back to rubbing cultural shoulders with the likes of Optimus Prime and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The same can't be said, however, for the ThunderCats franchise, which hasn't been nearly as lucky.
The 2011 ThunderCats series was widely beloved, with its anime-inspired art style mixing well with the updated storytelling. Much like the 2002 He-Man series, however, it was short-lived and ultimately ended after one season. Fans demanded that it be brought back during the streaming era, but this request has not yielded any results. The franchise did receive a new entry, however, in the contentious ThunderCats Roar. This show was known for its simplistic "CalArts" aesthetic and for turning the series into something completely different. The reception toward the show was instantly negative. The cancelation of the earlier series didn't help these matters, and Roar would itself end unceremoniously after a surprising 52 episodes.
The biggest detriment to ThunderCats Road was how irreverent it was to the classic show and its fans. Things can only be laughed at in a healthy state, with ThunderCats Roar coming out when a more serious entry hadn't been produced in years. Given the reception toward similar shows such as Teen Titans Go! and how ubiquitous this style of cartoon had become, many older fans were not willing to accept the silly series. Given this condition, the franchise will only be brought back if a new show is truly respectful of the original, all while being fresh. The 2011 series did so, and it might actually be perfect for a revival.
"Retro" sequels are becoming increasingly prominent, with Masters of the Universe: Revelation actually being a sequel to the 1980s cartoon. Conversely, the upcoming X-Men '97 is set after the classic X-Men: The Animated Series, despite releasing decades afterward. Due to this, it's entirely possible that ThunderCats 2011 could finally receive a new season that continues its take on the story. This type of art style and anime-inspired aesthetic is very popular right now, as seen in both the Amazon Prime Video series Invincible and the DC cartoon My Adventures with Superman. By continuing the "old" ThunderCats in this way on Max, the franchise could hit it big on a modern streaming service and attain a bigger fanbase than ever. After all, if He-Man can go from meme king to a major hero once again, there's no telling how loud the ThunderCats' next roar could be.
At the Animaniacs' virtual panel at New York Comic Con on Sunday, fans were given a first look at what's in store for its sophomore season on the streaming service. After the '80s-tastic teaser dropped, the cast appeared to reveal what folks can look forward to in the new 13-episode season when it debuts in November (hint: more parodies).
Jess Harnell (who voices Wakko) and Maurice LaMarche (who voices Brain) let it be known that there's a musical parody episode. Alsas, neither would disclose anything beyond that (not even which musical they would be lampooning).
"We kind of take the piss out of a brilliant iconic musical," echoed Rob Paulson, who voices Yakko and Pinky. Paulson also wouldn't name the musical, but mentioned that it was one that Harnell performed in as a young man (which, to be honest, really doesn't narrow it down).
"There's one that I saw last night that has to do with [the Roman Emperor] Nero, and let's just say that there's a lot of cross-pollination between him and a recent, controversial political figure," said Harnell, before adding: "Man, I couldn't believe some of the stuff we got away with in this episode."
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