Michael Keaton can scratch another iconic role off his list of parts to play again 30+ years later. According to THR’s Aaron Couch, Warner Bros. has finally put the sequel to the 1988 classic Beetlejuice on the slate.
Rumors of a Beetlejuice sequel have persisted for years but now the pieces are in place to bring the Ghost with the Most back to the big screen. In early 2022, it was reported that Keaton would reprise the role and that he’d be joined in his return by Winona Ryder. More recently, THR reported that director Tim Burton was on board to return to direct the sequel and that Jenna Ortega (Scream, Wednesday) was circling a major role believed to be the daughter of Ryder’s Lydia and Justin Theroux joined the cast in an unknown role.
It seems now WB has all the pieces in place and are ready to move into production immediately. THR reports that the powers that be at WB have put Beetlejuice 2 on their theatrical slate, slotting it in for a September 6, 2024 release while Deadline reports the project will begin principal photography on May 10th.
Beetlejuice marks the second iconic 1980s role that Keaton has now revived. The actor will once again fill the dual roles of Bruce Wayne and Batman in this Summer’s The Flash. All we can do now is hold out hope that he’ll pull out the house flannel and reprise the role of Jack in a Mr. Mom sequel.
Nick Fury has always been the MCU’s man with the plan. Always several steps ahead of the guy who thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room, Samuel L. Jackson‘s old spy has seen it and done it all. By the time the Chitauri invaded Earth in 2012’s The Avengers, ol’ Nick was already a seasoned veteran of alien affairs, having dealt with the Kree-Skrull War in the 1990s-set Captain Marvel. Next up for Fury is an alien invasion of a different kind in the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Secret Invasion and it’s set to show MCU audiences a whole new side of Fury.
Secret Invasion will see Fury faced with his inability to keep a promise he made to the group of Skrull refugees he set out to help find a new home world nearly 30 years prior. As series co-star Emilia Clarke said, Fury “promised a lot of stuff a long time ago, and not a lot has happened. So understandably, a certain amount of resentment has been built.” According to Jackson, that Fury is not the same man featured in Secret Invasion. “Here you have a guy who’s showing his face, and showing his age,” said Jackson in a new interview with Empire, adding “It’s an opportunity to humanize someone that everybody thinks is superhuman.“
In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.
Official synopsis of Marvel Studios Secret Invasion
As opposed to the comic book event from which it takes its name, Marvel Studios Secret Invasion is anything but a superhero cameo fest. That’s by design, according to executive producer Jonathan Schwartz, who wanted to take the focus off the MCU’s godlike icons and place it on the shoulders of its mere mortals. “One of the things we really wanted to bring to this show that makes it a little bit unique in the Marvel universe is vulnerability,” explained Schwartz and that means putting characters like Fury, Maria Hill, Everett Ross and newcomer Olivia Colman‘s Sonya Falsworth at the center of the show’s action. “Nick Fury is just a human, Maria Hill is just a human. A single bullet could take them out. That’s something we don’t always get in the MCU. To bring that level of tension, fear and vulnerability into one of our shows was really exciting,” said Schwartz.
And so when audiences reconnect with Fury at the beginning of the series, gone is the eye patch and trenchcoat so long associated with the character. “All those things are part of a Nick Fury that’s invulnerable,” Jackson explained and Secret Invasion is more about peeling back the layers of who Fury is…and who he has been behind all the secrets. “It’s great to have an opportunity to find out who he was and delve into how much of a toll his job actually takes on his personal life,” said Jackson adding that the new spin on the character has given him a renewed interest in continuing to portray the character, “I love playing him, and I love the fact that they’re opening him up to all these other possibilities and this whole life that he has.” With Secret Invasion hitting Disney Plus in just over a month, audiences will get to find out just what that life has been and what the cost of it might be.
There is no greater debate in our time than whether or not the Netflix Daredevil series should be considered MCU canon. While stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio have reprised their respective roles from the series, Cox in particular has been very firm on the fact that Daredevil: Born Again will not be Season 4 of Daredevil but rather a “whole new deal.”
For his part, D’Onofrio has given far murkier answers to the question of Daredevil’s canonicity, explaining on more than one occasion that he’s playing the same character he did in the Netflix series…until now. In an interview with Comic Book’s Adam Barnhardt, D’Onofrio now says Born Again is NOT the same show as the Netflix series.
“I think it’s definitely a new show. It’s not the Netflix show. It’s definitely a new show,” said D’Onofrio. “I mean, all I can say is that Charlie [Cox] and I are not bored. We are having a great time. We have a great cast, and I think everybody else is having a great time too,” he continued. D’Onofrio praised both his co-star and the direction of the show before returning to the question at hand and saying, “I’m trying to skirt around specifics, but I can only say that it is a different show and it feels like a different show.“
Nobody is foolish enough to presume that D’Onofrio’s comments will convince the “Netflix is canon” crew to change those tune. In fact, even if the opening scroll of Born Again claimed the events of the Netflix show were unrelated to it, the great debate would still rage on…which makes the writing of this article a questionable use of time.
In many ways, James Gunn‘s Superman: Legacy is sounding more and more like a throwback. Though it is expected to be set in the modern continuity of the all-new, all-different DCU, Gunn has made it clear that the film, which DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran said will launch the new DCU, will explore some “old-fashioned” values and will see a Superman who stands for truth, justice and the American way. It’s an interesting challenge for Gunn because the perception that Superman represents a bygone era has made it tough for modern writers to crack new stories that resonate with modern readers; however, a pattern is emerging that might give some insight into how Gunn plans to take on that challenge.
Part of keeping the old-fashioned spirit of Superman alive might be surrounding him with other old-fashioned characters, making Kal-El feel a bit less like a fish out of water. To that end, Gunn has already confirmed that Superman’s pal, Jimmy Olsen, is set to appear in his new Superman film. Olsen was a fixture in the comics and in the late 1970s/early 1980s Superman films played by Marc McClure. That Olsen came complete with an innocent “Aw shucks, Mr. Kent” persona that was in stark contrast to the CIA assassin version of the character that briefly appeared in the Snyderverse. It seems far more likely that Gunn’s version of the character would be in line with the original interpretation of the character, helping establish a more old-fashioned feel around Superman.
Along those old-fashioned lines, it sounds as though James Gunn is set to drop another one of Superman’s friends in Superman: Legacy; in fact, it sounds like it’ll be (Super)man’s best friend: Krypto the Superdog! While promoting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with Chris Pratt, Gunn jokingly said he’d cast Pratt as the on-set reference for Krypto. When the interviewer asked if he had just gotten a scoop about Krypto’s appearance in the film, Gunn confirmed that he did!
When Warners was courting Gunn, the studio gave him his pick of properties, including Superman. Though Gunn never got far enough along to seriously consider tackling a Superman movie, the filmmaker did take a shine to the Man of Steel’s superpowered dog Krypto during his comics research — which makes sense for a man who turned a talking raccoon into one of Marvel’s most popular big screen characters.
THR Heat Vision, 2019
Gunn has always been a fan of Krypto and, dating back to when he first started work at DC has explored using the character in a project. Back in 2021, we erroneously reported that Gunn was developing a Krypto project for Warner Bros but Gunn’s interest in the character has clearly not waned. Adding Krypto to the mix seems to further ground the story of Superman: Legacy in those old-fashioned values Safran talked bout. A man’s best friend. A boy and his dog. However you put it, there’s a certain sentimentality to the idea of Superman having a canine sidekick with him on his new adventure.
Superman: Legacy is currently set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.
Despite a significant drop off in the volume of set photos showing up online, Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Daredevil: Born Again is still filming in and around New York City. While the ongoing WGA strike may eventually shut production down, the series has continued with its business and last week one of the series’ stars was spotted for the first time.
New York Newswire Director of Photography Steve Sands snapped several shots of Daredevil newcomer Michael Gandolfini in action on the set of Born Again.
No official word has come from Marvel Studios on who Gandolfini will be playing in the series, rumors have swirled that he’ll be portraying a younger version of Wilson Fisk during flashback sequences. The set photos certainly give away anything that seems to confirm nor deny that rumor.
As of now, Daredevil: Born Again is expected to stream on Disney Plus sometime in 2024.
Marvel Studios Mahershala Ali-led Blade reboot has had the most turbulent pre-production periods in the studio’s 15+ year history. After being announced at SDCC ’19, the film has seen multiple changes in its creative team cause production delays that set the film back well over a year. Just when it looked like they’d buttoned things up and were ready for cameras to roll, the WGA strike forced the production to go on hold. It seems all but certain now that the film will see yet another new release date but as fans wait on the next bit of news about the film, some interesting rumors have surfaced.
In the wake of the news of the film’s indefinite production delay, insider Daniel RPK has shared a good deal of information about the film’s new script and its cast. To start, it seems that over the course of rewrites on that film, actor Aaron Pierre‘s character, who was set to be the villain of the piece, was removed entirely. While there is no word on who Pierre was set to play, the film’s new villain is sire to generate some social media buzz.
It seems that rising scream queen Mia Goth, who only recently joined the film has been cast as Lilith. Interestingly enough, there are two villainous Lilith’s in the pages of Marvel Comics and it’s not readily clear which of those Goth will be playing. While one of the two is the daughter of Dracula and makes the most sense for a vampire film, the other Lilith is known as the Mother of Demons and would provide a much more nefarious threat…and plant a seed for a potential Midnight Sons crossover.
According to RPK, Goth won’t be the only antagonist in the film. When he was cast,any fans assumed that star Delroy Lindo was on board to play Blade ally and mentor Jamal Afari. It looks like the role of Afari will be filled by Saul Williams while Lindo is set to play Deacon Frost, the vampire who bit Blade’s mother while she was pregnant with him. The unique circumstances led to Blade’s unique hybrid Daywalker physiology.
Given the uncertainty around when the film could begin production, it may be some time before any more information about the film comes to light. At this point, it seems all but certain that the project will find itself released in 2025, 6 years after it was first announced.
As early reviews of MCU films continue to feel increasingly unbiased, word of mouth from opening weekend screenings has seemed to become more valuable than ever. Simply put, folks who are unsure if they’ll see a film or not are waiting for audience reactions before heading to a theater. In the case of Marvel Studios first Phase 5 release, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, less than enthusiastic word of mouth quickly diminished the film’s opening weekend momentum leading to a precipitous second weekend drop. After early reviews for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the latest installment of the studio’s Multiverse Saga, added to some pre-existing doubt about the film’s opening weekend performance it seems even more people were waiting to hear what audiences had to say about the film before deciding to take in a showing. Now they have the answer they’ve been waiting for.
More than one review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (including our own) has indicated that the film is a return to form for Marvel Studios and it would seem opening night audiences agreed. Cinemascore, which polls opening night audiences as they exit the theater, has revealed that the Guardians farewell flick resonated strongly with fans and scored an A.
With an “A”, Vol. 3 joins the two previous Guardians of the Galaxy films in earning the high rating. It also joins Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as the only films in the Multiverse Saga to be scored an “A” (Spider-Man: No Way Home earned the elite “A+” Cinemascore).
With Vol. 3 currently tracking for somewhere in the ballpark of a $120M opening weekend, it’ll be worth following how the positive word of mouth impacts the second weekend. There’s no immediate box office challenger to Guardians and while there’s always a second weekend drop off, the studio will hope to avoid the massive 69% drop suffered by Quantumania.
Marvel Studios next big thing kicked off its theatrical run with the same Thursday previews box office take as its last big thing. According to THR, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opened to $17.5M on Thursday, matching the preview night take of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Quantumania went on to a franchise-best opening weekend before quickly losing momentum, something Marvel Studios is hoping not to see happen with Vol. 3.
Early forecasts for Vol. 3‘s opening weekend box office have it trending at or below the opening of its 2017 predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and the $17.5M previews number would seem to indicate that might be the case. Not only does the $17.5 match Quantumania, but it also outdoes the $17M Thursday previews take Vol. 2 had 6 years ago. And while that number is on par with Avatar: The Way of Water‘s Thursday and a top 40 all-time Thursday value, it seems to indicate some hesitancy on the part of audiences to head out to see another Marvel Studios film.
All three of Marvel Studios’ 2022 theatrical releases opened far stronger than Quantumania and now Vol. 3. Sam Raimi‘s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness took in more than double on its first Thursday with $36M, Thor: Love and Thunder saw $29M in receipts on its opening Thursday and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever too in $28M. Unlike Quantumania, those three films held a strong at the box office for weeks, something Disney is hopeful will happen with Vol. 3. The new film won’t see much competition at the box office and it does seem that it’s generating a little more positive word of mouth than Quantumania which means while it might not open to a huge number, it could have legs and ultimately end up with a satisfactory cumulative box office take.
Marvel Studios Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, was originally slated for a July release before moving to November but the Marvel marketing machine was already hard at work behind the scenes before the move. As such, fans have already been treated to a teaser trailer for the Phase 5 film and now, some brand-new promo materials have made their way online.
The promo art, which was first shared on Instagram by Ironman.TW and then on Twitter through the Captain Marvel News account, not only shows off the film’s three leads but also gives a great look at Zawe Ashton‘s villainous Kree leader Dar-Benn.
Also of note, is the confirmation of something that fans have been buzzing about since the teaser trailer first aired. During a scene set on the planet Aldana, several cats can be seen running around and the new concept art seems to confirm that they are all indeed Flerkens, just like Goose!
The presence of what’s essentially a Flerken army should provide Carol, Monica and Kamala with some formidable allies in their fight against Dar-Benn and the Kree. The release of TheMarvels is just a little over six months away which means fans can expect another trailer and a lot more promotional material to make its way online ahead of November 10th.
James Gunn‘s original Guardians of the Galaxy were all unlikely heroes. A thief. An assassin. A tree. A talking raccoon. Whatever Drax is. Over a decade in the MCU, the team has evolved and brought on new members but there may be no more unlikely hero on the team than Nebula. After originally teaming with the Kree extremist Ronin to take on the new team in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Nebula went on a journey unlike anything else we’ve seen in the MCU. After reconciling with Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, she was tortured at the hands of her father, Thanos, killed a past version of herself and joined the Avengers in saving the galaxy. Now, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, she finds herself a full-fledged member of the team as they go on what Gunn has said will be their final tour. That’s a lot of growth for a villain who was supposed to be a one-off.
Of course, the reason Nebula was provided with the opportunity to grow was the wonderful work of the actress who brings her to life, Karen Gillan. Gillan went all in on her performance in Guardians of the Galaxy, shaving her head and working with Gunn on finding a way to make Nebula more than the one-note character she’s often been portrayed as in the pages of Marvel Comics. Gillan‘s work was so good that Gunn carved out a bigger role for her in the 2017 sequel and the Russo brothers took it from there. While talking with host Nathan Fillion during the global press junket for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gillan reflected on her time as Nebula.
“She’s had quite the arc,” said Gillan of her character. After describing the character as “misunderstood” and “bitter” in Guardians of the Galaxy, the actress explained where Nebula stands in Vol. 3. “I think, you know, post-Thanos being eliminated from her life, she’s starting to flourish a little bit more and she’s starting to have a lighter personality and she’s a little more willing to show vulnerability.” It’s always good to see someone overcome their personal monsters.
Interestingly enough, Gillan explained that it wasn’t only Nebula who has grown. After playing the character for nearly a decade, the actress explained how the experience has changed her as well. “What’s changed for me? Definitely my understanding of what it’s like to be a scapegoat sibling,” she said. “I’m an only child,” explained Gillan, “because Nebula was definitely that. She was never the golden child. And so, I never understood that because I’m an only child. And so, that was a really sort of interesting exploration for me. So, now I just have so much respect for people that have gone through that.”
Gillan’s time as Nebula may or may not have run its course but she’s certainly established the character as an MCU powerhouse and one of Marvel Studios’ most interesting and complex.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in theaters now!
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