Secret of the Hogan Cubes (marketed as The ShadowSwine54 Movie or ShadowSwine54: The Movie) is an American independent Action-parody film written and developed by the production team of the YouTube channel ShadowSwine54.
Plot[]
Hulk Hogan is a former professional wrestler who lives in a shoddy apartment alongside both friends and enemies. He documents many of his daily affairs by filming and uploading videos of himself to YouTube. At one point in his post-retirement life Hogan had decided to construct what he believed to be a time machine to fix many of his past failures and win every title belt. Unbeknownst to the wrestler, the time machine wound up becoming a portal to a parallel dimension.
Somewhere down the line, this portal brought over devious assailants who belong to a dark organization known as the 'New World Order'. These enemies include NWO Hogan, Leroy, Toon Wolverine, and The Shooter. They have all infiltrated Hulk Hogan's dimension in attempt to end his life and retrieve the Hogan Cubes: strange decorative dice that insert compatible wielders into titanic humanoid monsters known as "hosts". That power is not what NWO Hogan seeks, however. These cubes possess a secret: one that reveals their true capabilities.
Production[]
Commencement of production for a ShadowSwine movie was greenlit in July of 2014, when the ShadowSwine54 team decided that the channel needed a film to fully demonstrate the series' expansive roster. The upcoming film was advertised on various social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, where concept art and production updates were posted. It was given the title Secret of the Hogan Cubes because the film was meant to expand on the recently introduced Hogan Cubes.
Due to the high technological demand that comes with film production, the team decided to postpone what was projected to be a release date of late 2014. There was no mention of the film nor any updates on production until August 2015, which saw the release of a prequel episode to the YouTube series: Prequel of the Hogan Cubes. This episode served to introduce much of the characters and plot devices that were set to appear in the upcoming film, such as NWO Hogan and his desire to obtain the Hogan Cubes.
On May 31 of 2016, another precursor to the upcoming film was released, this time titled Prologue of the Hogan Cubes. Prologue of the Hogan Cubes contained yet another instance of the villainous NWO Hogan and further intensified the build-up to the film's eventual release. Additionally, this episode introduced the character Hillbilly Jim, who would later hold a major role in the film.
Secret of the Hogan Cubes officially resumed production during April of 2019 in the form of storyboarding, score composing, and obtainment of supplies to be used in the film. It was given a release date of early summer of that same year. All assets to be used in the film were acquired as of May 1, 2019 and filming began later that same month.
The movie finished production as of 6/22/19, and it was released on 6/24.
Critical Reception[]
Pre-launch edited filming sessions were previewed to various ShadowSwine testers, who found the movie to be heavily enjoyable. One tester described Secret of the Hogan Cubes as 'superior to Marvel's Avengers: Endgame'.
On launch day, the film was demonstrated to the channel's quality testers, all of which whom were greatly pleased with it. One tester immediately gave the film a "10/10" following the post-credits scene.
Trivia[]
- One scene of the Human Hogan V.S. Human NWO Hogan battle was shot outside the home of one of the testers, unbeknownst to them beforehand. The scene was met with both surprise and laugher at the choice of setting.