This week, Phill and Nick talk about the future of cinema in light of more studios doing simultaneous releases on streaming sites and the disruption caused by 2020.

Other news includes Disney+ Hawkeye show’s first pictures, a bizarre doomsday date for multiple Nintendo titles, and remembering Darth Vader himself, David Prowse.

Subscribe or follow on your favourite podcast app!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/holoprojectors

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by Phill (@holophill) and Nick (@beggarscanon).

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:41

TV/Film news 0:05:45

- Set photos released from Disney+ show Hawkeye including Lucky the Pizza Dog

- Rumour: Florence Pugh will reprise role from Black Widow movie in Hawkeye

- Revolution of the Daleks trailer for Doctor Who New Years Special

- Two out of three companions to exit in Doctor Who special, leaving just Mandip Gill co-starring

- Director of 10 Cloverfield Lane, Dan Trachtenberg, to direct new Predator movie

- Remembering Darth Vader, RIP David Prowse

- Amazon’s Utopia TV series cancelled after 1 season

- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to commence production

- Oscar Isaac set to play Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid movie

- Confirmed: Mads Mikkelsen to play Grindelwald

- Charlie Brooker writing 2020 mockumentary for Netflix starring Hugh Grant

- Alex Garland working on new low budget horror movie

- Diego Luna confirms Cassian Andor series starting shooting in London

- Kenobi series to begin shooting next month in London and Boston

- The Mandalorian Chapter 14 discussion (brief, spoiler-free)

- Elliot Page, star of Juno and Inception, has come out as transgender

Gaming news 0:32:42

- Black Friday for gaming, some declines, mostly records

- Square Enix goes remote-working for 80% of its employees

- Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light coming to Switch, but only until 31 March 2021

- Super Mario Maker Wii U going offline on 31 March 2021

- Nintendo Doomsday apparently on 31 March 2021

- Pokemon tease 25th anniversary

- Uri Geller apologises for Pokemon lawsuit and withdraws opposition to Kadabra after two decades

- Cyberpunk 2077 preorders ‘visibly higher’ than any Witcher game for CD Projekt Red

- Aardman partnering with Bandai Namco on new IP

- Fall Guys season 3 is Winter Knockout theme

- Doom Guy coming to Fall Guys as costume

- Super Nintendo World to open in Japan in February 2021

Discussion: The Future of Cinema 0:58:00

Phill and Nick contemplate the future of cinema in the face of the disruption the industry has faced this year and the studios that are looking to release films simultaneously on streaming sites.

Outro 1:18:27

This week, Phill and Nick talk about the three modern eras of Doctor Who as the show approaches it’s 60th anniversary.

Other news includes a new(?) trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, more support for Star Wars Squadrons and a trailer for Tom & Jerry.

Subscribe or follow on your favourite podcast app!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/holoprojectors

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by Phill (@holophill) and Nick (@beggarscanon).

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:39

TV/Film news 0:02:56

- The Mandalorian Chapter 12 discussion

- Alan Dean Foster #DisneyMustPay

- Ms Marvel set photos released

- Deadpool 3 on the way

- Wonder Woman 1984 simultaneous release on HBO Max (USA) / still in cinemas 16 December

- New(ish) Snyder Cut trailer - it was black and white this time

- Chaos Walking trailer - Tom Holland & Daisy Ridley

- Tom & Jerry trailer

- One Night in Miami trailer - Regina King directs

- We Can Be Heroes - SharkBoy and Lava Girl sequel

Gaming news 0:35:13

- Twitch gets flood of DMCA claims from major music labels affecting a large number of streamers; licensed games and even some in-game sound effects are targeted

- Nominees for The Game Awards announced

- Xbox Series S and X shortages until early 2021

- PlayStation exec thinks PS5 has enough space

- Project 007 announced from IO Interactive, developer of Hitman games

- New support for Star Wars squadrons as B-Wings and TIE Defenders added

- XIII Remake launches to negative responses; apology from developers

- Super Mario 3D All Stars adds Gamecube controller support for Super Mario Sunshine

- Bethesda titles will be “first or better or best” on Xbox, says Xbox

- Survey finds growing harassment in US gaming

- COVID-19 is expected to boost eSports investment

- Oxford Uni study shows video games can be good for mental health and wellbeing

- Google Stadia to begin public iOS testing

Discussion: Doctor Who at 57 1:05:16

Phill and Nick look back on the three eras of modern Doctor Who and talk about potential 60th anniversary celebrations.

Outro 1:45:11

Outtake after close: Phill tries to give a Constantine correction but it goes horribly wrong.

This week, Phill and Nick work out how to fix the lacklustre reception to Marvel’s Avengers, mostly by just pitching different Avengers games,

Other news includes Mads Mikkelsen being rumoured for Fantastic Beasts 3, Xbox and PlayStation overheating claims and a shorter season for Doctor Who in 2021.

Subscribe or follow on your favourite podcast app!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/holoprojectors

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by Phill (@holophill) and Nick (@beggarscanon).

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:40

TV/Film news 0:03:07

- Constantine 2 in development (at 0:04:17 Phill is thinking of Matt Ryan who plays Constantine in Arrow – not Tom Ellis thank you very much Nick)

- Brief discussion on Chapter 11 of the Mandalorian

- More details about Zack Snyder’s Justice League – a “road-weary” Joker??

- Chris Pratt reportedly in Thor: Love & Thunder

- Mads Mikkelsen being targeted as Grindelwald for Fantastic Beasts 3

- Daleks! Animated series starts as part of Doctor Who’s “Time Lord Victorious” event

- Doctor Who series 13 will only run 8 episodes in 2021

Gaming news 0:28:46

- Xbox Series X video goes viral of smoke coming out

- Overheating claims for both Xbox and PlayStation 5

- EA facing another class action lawsuit over lootboxes

- EA launch FIFA Playtime to track and allow limits to be set on the time and money spent on FIFA

- Xbox Series S/X is the biggest console launch in Microsoft history

- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has double Odyssey’s player base at launch

- Over half of US and UK players want more diversity in games

- Valve win Game of the Year and Hardware of the Year at 2020 VR Awards

- New Spider-Man suits for Spider-Man PS5 also coming to PS4 version

- Cool Product of the Week: Spider-Man: Miles Morales Adidas trainers

Discussion: Fixing Marvel’s Avengers game 0:48:03

Phill and Nick give their ideas for what they think would be better ideas for Avengers video games.

(Correction: there is a VR game in Time Lord Victorious – we’ll cover next week)

Outro 1:10:43

This week, Phill, Nick and their guest Morgan talk about who could take over from Daniel Craig as James Bond and who could be the next great Bond Villain!

Other news includes Johnny Depp out of Fantastic Beasts 3, Xbox and PlayStation first review round-up and Amazon’s patent for dealing with toxic players.

Subscribe or follow on your favourite podcast app!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/holoprojectors

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by Phill (@holophill) and Nick (@beggarscanon).

Guest hosted this week by Morgan (@M_Murphy3)

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:40

TV/Film news 0:02:59

- Rest in Peace Sean Connery

- Dan Harmon says “Stay tuned” about Community movie, works with cast for a Get Out the Vote video

- Tom Holland posts picture from set of Spider-Man 3

- Johnny Depp out of Fantastic Beasts 3

- Trailer for LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special

Gaming news 0:18:57

- Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 review round-up

- Take-Two president is “highly sceptical” about games subscriptions such as Xbox Game Pass

- Steam Playtest: Steam launches new feature to help beta testing

- Amazon patents new way of dealing with toxic players

- Six new FIFA games in development for mobile

- New Spidey suits in PS5’s Spider-Man remastered

Discussion: The Next Bond and Bond Villain 0:43:09

Phill, Nick and Morgan talk about who should be the next James Bond, and who could be the next great Bond Villain!

Outro 1:23:23

Thank you to Morgan for joining us today!

This week, Phill and Nick celebrate the return of The Mandalorian by pitching their high quality ideas for Star Wars TV shows.

Other news includes the final Nintendo Direct of 2020, Snyder Cut casting, PS5 pre-orders explode and Pac-Man Battle Royale!

Subscribe or follow on your favourite podcast app!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/holoprojectors

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by Phill (@holophill) and Nick (@beggarscanon)

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:38

TV/Film news 0:03:49

- Assassins Creed TV show on Netflix

(the TV show Phill is struggling to think of at around 06:10 is Quantum Leap)

- Oscar Isaac rumoured to be Moon Knight

(fact check: Chris Hemsworth was on Home & Away)

- John Boyega open to returning to Star Wars

- Spider-Man 3 start shooting

- Justice League: additional photography being shot

- Sony is reportedly buying Crunchyroll for $957M

Gaming news 0:25:49

- Nintendo hold final Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase of 2020: Hyrule Warriors, No More Heroes, Bravely Default II, Hitman 3 and Control Definitive Edition

- Cloud Versions of Switch games begin releasing outside of Japan

- Head of Xbox Phil Spencer expects more lower priced hardware in the future

- Cyberpunk 2077 delayed for third time, now releasing 10 December

- PS5 size = big

- Phil Spencer says Xbox can’t influence Bethesda too much yet

- Xbox looking for more E-rated content

- Halo Infinite loses its director

- Spider-Man: Miles Morales reveals suit based off Miles’ suit in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

- First 12 hours of PS5 pre-orders match first 12 weeks for PS4

- Pac-Man Battle Royale game, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle announed for Google Stadia

- No Man’s Sky receiving next gen update

- Kotaku: Someone is collecting all the old SNES instruction manuals

- Weird Product of the Week: Mandalorian/Baby Yoda themed Xbox One controller

Discussion: Pitch a Star Wars TV Show 0:56:42

Phill and Nick talk about The Mandalorian season 2 premiere (no spoilers) and then they pretend like they’ve got Disney Exec’s on the hook and pitch their own Star Wars shows!

Outro 1:17:42

Welcome back for Season 6 of The Cynical Optimists podcast! We will be running 8 episodes to Christmas for our first half.

Dr. Who Eternity Clock re-edit: https://youtu.be/YygPSULPiB0

Welcome to The Holoprojectors! Phill and Nick explain all, including why we decided to rebrand.

This week, Phill and Nick end the season on an unexpected note as they become immersed in the world and conversations of The Midnight Gospel (season 5 finale).

Other news includes discussion of the EA Play event, the Pokemon Presents event, and there was a teaser for the Snyder cut as well!

Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play Podcasts or SoundCloud to get each new episode direct to your device!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/cynoptpodcast

Check out The Cynical Optimist Blog:

cynoptblog.blogspot.co.uk/

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by

Phill "haddowinc" Haddow (@haddowinc)

Nick "NGM" Mortimer (@MickNortimer)

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:37

TV/Film news 0:05:47

- RIP Ian Holm

- Oscars Delayed by two months

- Star Wars Celebration cancelled this year, will return in 2022

- Rumour: new Star Wars spin-off based around “Bad Batch” from The Clone Wars

- Rumour: Dave Filoni to lead on “Star Wars Live-Action Connected Universe” on Disney+

- First Teaser for the Justice League Snyder Cut

- UK Film Distributor Association bringing 450+ titles to UK cinemas for re-release to help boost cinema recovery

Gaming news 0:28:26

- Pokemon Presents 17/06 announces Pokemon Smile, Pokemon Cafe Mix, and a new Pokemon Snap (hype!)

- EA Play and Star Wars Squadrons discussion

- Star Wars Episode 1 Racer releasing on Switch and PS4 on 23 June

- New Smash Fighter from ARMS will have a presentation on Monday 22 June

- PS5 price potentially leaks on Amazon France

- Insomniac forced to release video clarifying details around Spider-Man: Miles Morales

- Cyberpunk 2077 delayed until 19 November for extra polish

- Crash Bandicoot 4 leaks online

- Google Stadia Premiere Edition kind of gets a price cut but not really

- The guy managing the Sonic Twitter account is moving jobs at SEGA

- Fake Crowds added to actual Football Matches, lol

- Nintendo clamping down on people who buy and sell villagers for real money

- KFC Singapore opens a restaurant in Animal Crossing New Horizons

- Weird Product of the Week: All LEGO Mario sets will cost you over £500

Discussion: The Midnight Gospel Review 0:59:20

Phill and Nick examine a truly unique show in The Midnight Gospel, from comedian Duncan Trussell and the creator of Adventure Time, Pendleton Ward (mild spoilers from 1:10:50 – whilst this is based on a real podcast, we would rather you experience some of it without knowing what will happen).

Good News & Outro 1:16:49

Thanks for tuning in to Season 5, we will be back later this year.

This week, Phill and Nick toss a coin to their Witcher.

Other news includes discussion of all the news from the PlayStation 5 reveal event and the delay of Christopher Nolan’s new film, Tenet.

Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play Podcasts or SoundCloud to get each new episode direct to your device!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/cynoptpodcast

Check out The Cynical Optimist Blog:

cynoptblog.blogspot.co.uk/

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by

Phill "haddowinc" Haddow (@haddowinc)

Nick "NGM" Mortimer (@MickNortimer)

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:39

TV/Film news 0:03:01

- Tenet delayed by two weeks to 31 July, potential Inception screenings happening 17 July instead

- Wonder Woman 1984 pushed back to October

- New film Greyhound moving to Apple TV+

- Dark Universe (still exists, and) Ryan Gosling has been cast as the Wolf Man

- Bill & Ted 3 gets first trailer

- Studio Ghibli releasing first fully 3D animated CGI film

- A number of members of the Harry Potter cast have written essays supporting trans rights

Gaming news 0:14:11

- PS5 reveal event discussion including all games

- EA Play presentation on 18 June; rumoured new Star Wars game

- PC Gaming Show – Persona 4 Golden, The Last Campfire, Surgeon Simulator 2 shown amongst others

- YouTube is now the top discovery path for mobile games for kids

- Sky Sports adding option for viewers to add FIFA 20 crowd noises to football games whilst stands are empty

- Weird Product of the Week: Game Gear Micro announced

Discussion: The Witcher Review 0:52:29

Phill and Nick talk about the Netflix adaption of the famous Polish book series, The Witcher. There is also talk of tossing coins to Witchers if you are so obliged (mild spoilers throughout).

Good News & Outro 1:09:36

Apologies the coverage of good news was a bit patchy, here’s some lists of the initiatives to combat racial inequality in the games industry:

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-06-03-organisations-and-initiatives-supporting-racial-equity-in-the-global-games-industry

And another on individual company efforts and commitments:

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-06-03-games-industry-donates-to-black-lives-matter-and-more-in-support-of-us-protests

This week, Phill and Nick check out Amazon Prime’s gritty superhero series, The Boys.

Other news includes the announcement of the Snyder Cut (and the winner of the bet!), the announcement of a Sonic sequel and a new Star Wars VR game.

Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play Podcasts or SoundCloud to get each new episode direct to your device!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/cynoptpodcast

Check out The Cynical Optimist Blog:

cynoptblog.blogspot.co.uk/

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by

Phill "haddowinc" Haddow (@haddowinc)

Nick "NGM" Mortimer (@MickNortimer)

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:39

TV/Film news 0:04:41

- Former Marvel Comics Editor harassed in Central Park

- Trailer released for Star Wars Jedi Temple Challenge

- Rumour: Thrawn Series on Disney+?

- The Simpsons in 4:3 on Disney+

- Ruby Rose has left CW’s Batwoman

- Harley Quinn show is available on 4OD

- Rick and Morty S4B mini-discussion

- Sonic the Hedgehog movie getting a sequel

- Rumour: Henry Cavill to appear in more DC films as Superman

- Snyder Cut of Justice League Announced: the result of Phill and Nick’s bet!

Gaming news 0:32:55

- G2A caught selling stolen game keys

- Frontier CEO imagines physical games will go away within 2-3 years – will it?

- PS5 speculation

- PS5 Future of Gaming presentation taking place on 4 June

- Xbox Series X to be backward compatible from launch, some will have better framerates

- New Sonic game reveal will take a bit longer, says SEGA

- Star Wars Battlefront II on PS Plus in June

- New Star Wars VR announced taking place between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker

- Manchester United is suing Football Manager

- Euro 2020 coming to PES2020 even though the real Euro 2020 is delayed to 2021

- Muslims are taking to Animal Crossing New Horizons to celebrate Eid

- LEGO Super Mario shows off first “Power Up Pack”

Discussion: The Boys Review 1:07:45

Phill and Nick delve into the comic book action of The Boys – a gritty look at superheroes in the world of PR, social media and corruption. Is it a super viewing experience? (Spoilers from: 1:22:40)

Outro 1:32:25

This week, Phill and Nick check out the Amazon Prime sci-fi series, Tales from the Loop.

Other news includes more Mandalorian casting (and memes), Paper Mario The Origami King, and Unreal Engine 5.

Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play Podcasts or SoundCloud to get each new episode direct to your device!

Follow us on Twitter for updates, news and the occasional joke:

www.twitter.com/cynoptpodcast

Check out The Cynical Optimist Blog:

cynoptblog.blogspot.co.uk/

-CREDITS-

The Cynical Optimists is created and hosted by

Phill "haddowinc" Haddow (@haddowinc)

Nick "NGM" Mortimer (@MickNortimer)

Logo by Nick

Cynical Optimists Theme and Stingers by Joe Hayward

Edited by Phill

Show Outline and Time Stamps:

Intro 0:00:39

TV/Film news 0:03:36

- New Mutants coming to cinemas in August?

- More details on the Mad Max Fury Road prequel

- Scarface Remake: Luca Guadagnino to direct

- Hamilton coming to Disney+ in July

- Percy Jackson films coming to Disney+

Gaming news 0:21:02

- Paper Mario: The Origami King announced, releasing July

- Bethesda outlines content roadmap for Fallout 76, set to utilise “season” structure for releases

- Petition from Star Wars Battlefront II fans for the game to get more content has around 60k signatures

- Star Wars Episode I Racer missed its May 12 launch; no new date yet

- EVO 2020 moves online; Super Smash Bros. Ultimate removed from line-up

- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 remaster announced; coming September

- Epic shows off Unreal Engine 5

- Sony creates Playstation Studios brand for its first party games and games it supports

- Ubisoft Forward, Ubisoft’s ‘E3-style showcase’ coming in July

- Weird Product of the Week: Get a Square Enix face mask when you spend $100!

Discussion: Tales from the Loop Review 0:39:53

Phill and Nick check out Tales from the Loop, a sci-fi series based off a series of digital paintings. Each episode looks at a different sci-fi concept but it all forms one story – is it any good? (Spoilers from: 0:54:48)

Good News Story & Outro 1:31:07