Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • The Scoop On Marvel Studios Next 12 Movies

    The Scoop On Marvel Studios Next 12 Movies

    With Phase 4 behind us and the start of Phase 5 right around the corner, fans are just starting to see the big picture of the Multiverse Saga. As of now, a dozen known films stand between fans and the end of the ongoing saga. Here’s the scoop on all 12.

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
    February 17, 2023

    Written by Jeff Loveness
    Directred by Peyton Reed

    A big-budget, universe-altering Ant-Man movie is probably a thing a lot of fans thought they’d never see, but that’s exactly what the third film in the franchise will be, according to executive producer Stephen Broussard who says Quantumania will “be big and feel central to the future of the MCU.” After being transported to the Quantum Realm through a device built by Kathryn Newton‘s Cassie, the Ant-Family will find themselves navigating their way through the strange land which Broussard warns is “full of people and characters and worlds and politics and history.” The first trailer for the film introduces a few of those characters including Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror, Bill Murray‘s Krylar and some other key inhabitants of the Quantum Realm but held back on revealing one of the film’s most over-the-top choices: the classic comic villain M.O.D.O.K.!

    As Broussard says, Quantumania’s plot is central to the ongoing Multiverse Saga. Writer Jeff Loveness put together an incredible script and then moved on to write Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so you can be sure there’s significant connectivity between the two films. For a film that was once thought to be in danger of not being made or of being turned into a streaming series, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania certainly has an awful lot going for it.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
    May 5, 2023

    Written and directed by James Gunn

    James Gunn‘s last project for Marvel Studios will undoubtedly leave fans in tears next Summer. It’s the last go-round for this group of characters and the film will see the death of at least one of the team’s original crew and a significantly different-looking future for the rest. The film’s plot will revolve around the unspooling of Rocket’s origins which seems to dictate a trip to Counter-Earth where the team runs into the High Evolutionary. That trip is rumored to be the result of a run-in with Will Poulter‘s Adam Warlock, who was seen throwing a beating on Nebula in the film’s first trailer.

    While the film marks the end of the road for this group of heroes and for Gunn’s time with them, there’s certainly going to be room for Cosmic heroes beyond this movie. Who will be on the team and who will put it together? And what will the future hold for those who stay?

    The Marvels
    July 28, 2023

    Written by Megan McDonnell
    Directed by Nia DaCosta

    While ostensibly a sequel to Captain Marvel, it could also be a sequel to Ms. Marvel and WandaVision as well. The Marvels looks to be as tonally different from Captain Marvel as Captain America: The Winter Soldier was from Captain America: The First Avenger. Director Nia DaCosta has said she had a great time working with stars Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris and the footage screened at D23 would certainly seem to support that claim.

    The film will include some wild body-swapping as Carol, Kamala and Monica switch places with one another as seen in the post-credit scene to Ms. Marvel. That’s all tied to the Kree villain played by Zawe Ashton, who finds herself in possession of an artifact that looks strikingly similar to Kamala Khan’s bangle. A good portion of the film will also take place in space and see Carol revisit Hala as well as introduce a few new locations. There are also some pretty interesting theories out there about how these artifacts might be either Nega or Quantum bands and how they might just play into the Avengers’ battle against Kang, so this film won’t be without its Multiverse Saga tie-ins.

    Captain America: New World Order
    May 3, 2024

    Written by Dalan Musson and Malcolm Spellman
    Directed by Julius Onah

    At this point, this sounds like the craziest film on Marvel Studios 2024 slate and maybe one of the crazier films they’ve ever put together. The return on Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns/The Leader is just the tip of the iceberg. Harrison Ford is joining the MCU as Thaddeus Ross and rumors point to the long-awaited Red Hulk transformation finally happening. There are also rumors that Adamantium will be central to the film’s plot, which may also include Super Soldier-research again which makes one wonder if Weapons Plus will reemerge from the shadows. The project is also set to introduce a “Marvel mainstay” to the MCU and is rumored to be another key project along the way to the rumored World War Hulk film making Sam Wilson’s first big screen adventure as Captain America an incredibly important Phase 5 film.

    Thunderbolts
    July 26, 2024

    Written by Eric Pearson
    Directed by Jake Schreier

    The latest rumors about this film indicate that it’s getting a rewrite and that an “evil Superman” plays a key role. If the aforementioned reemergence of Weapons Plus happens in Captain America: New World Order, that “evil Superman” might just turn out to be Sentry and that would make for either one wild ride or one ultra-nerfed character. The team that was rolled out at D23 was very Super Soldier and spy-heavy and would be shredded by a comic book-accurate Sentry. Fan theories continue to swirl that Zemo and Abomination are “secret” members of the team or that that, like in The Suicide Squad, there’s a second team of Tbolts in the mix. It doesn’t seem like any of those things were true in the early drafts for the project, but who knows what a rewrite might fix?!

    Blade
    September 6, 2024

    Written by Michael Starrbury
    Directed by Yann Demange

    mcu blade

    Obviously this one has had some issues, but Marvel Studios feels good about the new direction in which it’s headed. Earlier versions of the project didn’t have quite enough action for a vampire-hunting film and the hope is that the new version of the project will feel a bit more like those great, old Tomb of Dracula comics than anything.

    Untitled Deadpool and Wolverine Film
    November 8, 2024

    Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
    Directed by Shawn Levy

    This project went from one nobody could quite figure out to one that is starting to sound like it may be the most “Multiversal” project of the Multiverse Saga. Theories continue to center on the film being an adaptation of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and rumors about the inclusion of Owen Wilson‘s Mobius and the rest of the TVA playing a role make it sound like this will be the Incursion-heavy movie fans thought Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would be. At this rate, it seems like the film will be trimming all kinds of branches ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars.

    Fantastic Four
    February 14, 2025

    Written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer
    Directed by Matt Shakman

    Fantastic Four has been gestating way too long at Marvel Studios, but it looks like it’s back on track and it sounds as though it’s going to make a splash. Rumors of the Silver Surfer appearing and of a Multiversal Council of Reeds persist, making this one a pretty big mover and shaker for the future of the Multiverse Saga. It’s also just the beginning of what should shape up to be a decade of stories about Marvel’s First Family, so taking their time on this one is essential.

    Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
    May 2, 2025

    Written by Jeff Loveness
    Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

    You know how you know that Kevin Feige loved Jeff Loveness‘ Quantumania script? This is how you know. Loveness is back here and teamed with Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton and that combo should give you some clues as to what projects and characters will be integral to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Rumors have Captain America, Shuri and Shang-Chi being among the first Avengers to take on Jonathan Majors‘ Kang, who will find himself going up against…himself?

    Shang-Chi 2
    TBD

    Written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

    Is the rumored title of Shang-Chi and The Wreckage of Time legit? If so, it would seem to indicate that Jonathan Majors might play a role in this sequel as well as another Variant of Nathaniel Richards? Introducing Immortus into the mix would make Avengers: Secret Wars even more interesting…

    But truly, nothing is known about this movie at the moment, not even if that title is correct or if it’ll land before or after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

    Armor Wars
    TBD

    Written by Yassir Lester

    Originally intended to be a streaming series, Armor Wars will now turn out to be Don Cheadle’s debut as a leading man in the MCU after having been around forever! This one has ties to Secret Invasion but could it also have ties to the events of Captain America: New World Order? Given that it’s coming pretty late in the Multiverse Saga, it may have lasting implications beyond it and if those Adamantium rumors are true, that precious metal might play into this film. Remember that the MCU doesn’t do one-for-one adaptations of comics, so while this is called Armor Wars, don’t expect it to follow the template from the 1980s arc.

    Avengers: Secret Wars
    May 1, 2026

    Written by Michael Waldron

    The capstone of the Multiverse Saga and what will undoubtedly be the most epic event of Marvel Studios long history, Avengers: Secret Wars is sure to work, in part, as a reunion of sorts for some of great icons of Marvel’s cinematic history. Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. Scarlett Johansson, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield have all been rumored to appear already and more names will be added to the list in the next 3+ years. It’s also very likely that this film will set the table for whatever the next great Saga will be in the MCU and that one will come bearing mutants.

    Sources: Games Radar,

  • What We’d Like to See From DC Studios Initial Slate

    What We’d Like to See From DC Studios Initial Slate

    As Hollywood gets ready to go on break, James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s initial vision for the first wave of DC Studios film in the all-new DC Universe has been communicated with the big bosses at Warner Bros. Discovery. Since then Gunn revealed that a Superman film, written by him, will be a top priority for the new studio while indicating that he and Safran plan to share part of the new slate with fans sometime early in 2023. While we wait to find out what the game plan is, here’s a Christmas-time wish list of what we’d like to see.

    Richard John Grayson

    For too long DC’s takes on Batman have made the mistake of robbing Batman of one of the most important relationships he’s ever forged. Dick Grayson hasn’t made an appearance in a live-action Batman film since 1997’s Batman and Robin and instead has been shuffled off to streaming land where some half-assed version of him exists on Titans. Gunn has said Batman is an important part of the stories DC Studios wants to tell. Dick Grayson is an important part of Batman’s stories. If DC Studios wants to be taken seriously by fans of Batman, this is a huge first step.

    The Brave and The Bold

    The Brave and The Bold is the Marvel Team-Ups of DC Comics, but to a lot of readers, it calls to mind one of DC’s most beloved pair of bros: Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. 2023 will see the oft-delayed The Flash film finally hit theaters, CW’s The Flash is ending following its 701st season and there’s been exactly one terrible live-action version of Hal Jordan to date in 2011’s Green Lantern film. Given that it’ll be a few years before DC Studios’ new slate starts rolling out, pushing out a new version of Barry Allen might not be as big of a deal as it seems in 2022. Even though he’s been out of the spotlight for a while, Hal Jordan probably doesn’t need an entire film’s worth of origin. Give these two a buddy film and get them involved in the bigger narrative ASAP.

    J’onn J’onzz

    The Snyderverse certainly could have used more J’onn J’onzz, a character who was nearly criminally underutilized over the last decade. J’onzz, better known as Martian Manhunter, has been around since the Silver Age and is an OG Justice Leaguer. Moreover, including him in the first wave of films allows DC Studios with someone who can narrate whatever version of the history of the DC Universe they wish to tell because, over his 225 million years, J’onn J’onzz has seen some things.

    The League, the Whole League and Nothing But The Leauge

    If Gunn is making a shared cinematic universe, there will ultimately be a Justice League. Not too many people outside of Gunn and Safran know what they have in mind for the first wave of films, but it’s likely that at some point, a League will come together and there’s no reason that it can’t be comprised of the original 7. Aquaman, Batman and Wonder Woman may or may not need solo projects ahead of a Justice League film because they’ve all been more recently present than Superman, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern; alternatively, maybe all 7 original members need solo projects. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the 7 OG JLA members have NEVER shared the screen in live-action and that’s something we’d like to see Gunn remedy in the near future.

    The Hall of Justice

    The Justice League is coming and they need a sick HQ. The Hall of Justice, which is based on the real-life Union Terminal building in Cincinnati, Ohio, has never been in a live-action DC film. By the time the new slate reaches the end of its first arc, it would make sense for the heroes to have established an HQ and this one is as iconic as it gets.

    Some Off-Beat Heroes

    The Trinity will likely be the foundation of the DC Universe. Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern will likely be there, too. Hopefully, Martian Manhunter makes the cut. However, if there’s one thing Gunn should be proud to carry over with him from his time at Marvel Studios, it’s the fact that he took a group of off-beat, unknown heroes and turned them into a globally recognized brand. So bring on Metamorpho! Throw Red Tornado into the mix. Plastic Man probably has some free time on his hands. What’s Animal Man up to these days? With the ability to introduce characters not only in films but also through streaming series, get some of these off-beat heroes into the mix. 3 years ago, nobody knew who Peacemaker was and now fans are eagerly antipating the second season of a streaming series starring John Cena as the butt of an ongoing joke.

    The OG Leaguers can’t do it all themselves (they totally can, but they never do), so throw some of these guys into the mix and give them a shot at becoming beloved by a new generation.

    A Lex Luthor That Can Be Taken Seriously

    This one is tough because while Gunn and Safran will want to break away from the stigma of the Snyderverse’s absurd take on Luthor, there’s arguably no more sensible villain for DC Studios’ first wave of films than Luthor. The character has been done to death on TV and in films, but never in a way in which he posed a threat to the entire Justice League. He doesn’t have to be the villain of Gunn’s Superman; in fact, he probably shouldn’t be. However, establishing him and then letting him grow into the type of character that could be powerful enough to threaten the entire league would set him apart from any previous version. And that version of the character probably includes…

    The Legion of Doom

    If anyone has the balls to bring this ridiculous team of villains together, it’s James Gunn. Though numerous iterations of the team have since appeared in the comics, the OGs first appeared in 1978 in the 16-episode Challenge of the Superfriends animated series that aired on ABC. The original team, which operated out of Darth Vader’s helmet, aka the Hall of Doom, was led by Luthor and consisted of rogues from all of the principal Leaguers galleries. Bizzaro, Black Manta, Brainiac, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, Riddler, Scarecrow, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy and Toyman all plotted to take over the world and failed again and again. DC Studios may not be able to pull all 13 of these baddies together and it doesn’t have to. But a JLA vs Legion of Doom movie would certainly garner some attention and one-up Marvel Studios in the sense that they have somehow failed to put together a live-action Masters of Evil 14 years in.

    There’s so much more that Gunn and Safran should try to accomplish as they build out the DC Universe, but the hope is that they’ll have the time necessary to do so. Great live-action versions of the JSA, The Question, The Spectre, the Green Lantern Corps and Damian Wayne all deserve to exist. But those characters probably don’t get the treatment they deserve without a solid foundation in the first wave of DC Studios’ slate. A safe, solid slate with some surprises thrown in. Let’s get it done, DC Studios.

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Cut a Major Villain Before Production

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Cut a Major Villain Before Production

    Though he first appeared in 1965’s Fantastic Four #48 and is thought of as a “Fantastic Four villain”, Galactus actually has quite the history with another major Marvel character. The Devourer of Worlds has quite the origin story, being the only being to survive the transition from the Sixth Cosmos to the Seventh Cosmos, and one day on a planetoid in the depths of space, Galactus chose to tell that story to Thor. As is often the case in Marvel Comics, Galactus’ origin story has been retconned over time, but he first told it to Thor in 1969 over issues #168 and #169, forging a pretty solid bond between the two characters. That bond was recently severed when Thor killed Galactus, but what’s a little killing between friends?

    Fans have yet to see a live-action version of Galactus hit the screen (that thing in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer will never be recognized as Galactus) but it turns out that he almost made his MCU debut alongside his buddy Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder. Unused concept art from Anthony Winn reveals that the idea was at least kicked around at one point in time. The concept art shows Galactus facing off in space against Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor!

    The story behind why Galactus didn’t make the cut may never become public knowledge, but it’s fascinating to see just how close fans of the character were to his extremely long-awaited debut. It’s unknown at present just what Marvel Studios’ plans are for the character. He may appear in the rumored Silver Surfer Special Presentation. He may appear in Fantastic Four. The powers that be may choose to take a page from his comic book origin and wait until the creation of the next iteration of the Cosmos, perhaps following Avengers: Secret Wars, before adding him to the mix. Whatever the case, it seems highly probable it will be a comic-accurate Galactus whenever he shows up and not a lingering fart cloud traversing through space.

    Source: Anthony Winn

  • Villain for the Scrapped ‘Man of Steel’ Sequel Reportedly Revealed

    Villain for the Scrapped ‘Man of Steel’ Sequel Reportedly Revealed

    As news came this week that Henry Cavill‘s tenure as Superman had officially come to an end, fans lamented what could have been for his version of the character who first appeared in 2013’s Man of Steel. A scrapped sequel for the film had been in the works at Warner Bros. Discovery, but as James Gunn and Peter Safran stepped into their new roles as co-chairs of DC Studios, that project was scrapped. Now a new report has revealed who Cavill‘s Kal-El would have squared off with in the sequel.

    According to THR, Man of Steel 2 would have pitted Superman against one of his classic foes: Braniac. Braniac and Superman have been going at one another since 1958 with his vilest plot being the miniaturization of Krypton’s capital city of Kandor which he then kept in a jar! The sick bastard!!

    Braniac has a pretty long history in live-action,ost notably as an ongoing antagonist in Smallville where he was played my James Marsters. The character was also a major player in Superman: The Animated Series.

    While fans mourn the lack of Brainiac in the Snyderverse, keep in mind he’s far too important of a character in Superman’s story to stay out of a long form story about the character in Gunn’s all-new DC Universe.

  • Peyton Reed Says Jonathan Majors is Kang…With a Twist

    Peyton Reed Says Jonathan Majors is Kang…With a Twist

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed has a lifelong love affair with Marvel Comics. The mind behind Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man franchise has never been shy about his affinity for the comics and the characters found on their pages and once upon a time pitched a Fantastic Four movie to the execs at Fox. Reed’s first two Ant-Man projects were released following major event films and, as such, were fairly mild in terms of their impact on the greater MCU. In both cases, that meant that the film’s villains definitely weren’t on anyone’s top ten bad guys lists. That’s all about to change with Quantumania.

    “I grew up a real Marvel comics nerd,” Reed told EW, “and there are a handful of antagonists in the Marvel comics universe who are all-timers. Loki, obviously. Doctor Doom from the Fantastic Four. And Kang the Conqueror.” The last name on that list will make his MCU debut in Quantumania and as can be gleaned from the trailer for the film, he means business.

    via EW

    According to Reed, bringing in a major villain and changing peoples’ perspectives on what an Ant-Man movie can have always been on his mind. “In conversations with Kevin Feige and Marvel, it was like, I want to put Ant-Man and Wasp up against a really formidable villain in this movie,” said the director, “and so we’re doing Kang the Conqueror.”

    Even the hardest of the hardcore Marvel Comics fans might have a hard time explaining the totality of Kang to a newbie. He’s just a complicated dude with a lot of time travel stories that make his character hard to follow…because he’s many different characters depending on when he is. While the MCU version will still have some of those qualities, Reed hints that this version of Kang isn’t exactly ripped right from the pages of the comics.

    In the comics, Kang has dominion over time, he’s a time traveler. His situation is a little bit different in this movie, which I won’t spoil for you, but he’s someone who, [while] we live very linear lives, from childhood to death, Kang doesn’t exist that way. It struck me as interesting to take the tiniest Avengers — in some people’s minds maybe the least powerful Avengers — and put them up against the most powerful force in the multiverse.

    Peyton Reed

    As for what that means, fans will have to wait just a couple more months to find out for themselves; however, get used to see Majors and Kang and Majors as not-quite-Kang for the next few years.

    Source: EW

  • How to Watch ‘Black Adam’

    How to Watch ‘Black Adam’

    Dwayne Johnson‘s 15 years of dedication and passion to Black Adam didn’t result in the type of box office he or Warner Bros. Discovery hoped for and any of Johnson’s future plans for the character seem to have been blown to bits by the change in leadership at DC. However, if you didn’t catch the film in theaters and still want to see it, it’s now as easy as ever.

    Black Adam, which had previously been available on VUDU for a $24.99 rental, is now available on these platforms at these prices:

    • HBO Max: free with subscription
    • VUDU: buy for $19.99
    • Prime Video: buy for $19.99
    • Redbox: buy for $19.99

    The film was not well-received critically, compiling a 39% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 41 Metascore on Metacritic. Audiences seemed to enjoy it a bit more, giving it a B+ Cinemascore. If you already subscribe to HBO Max, you can enjoy what looks like Dwayne Johnson’s one and only DC film appearance for free starting today!

  • Amazon Snags Henry Cavill to Lead ‘Warhammer 40,000’

    Amazon Snags Henry Cavill to Lead ‘Warhammer 40,000’

    Henry Cavill‘s post-Superman/post-Watcher career has already begun being defined. According to THR, Cavill is set to star and produce an adaptation of Warhammer 40,000 for Amazon.

    Warhammer 40,000 is a widely popular tabletop war game set 40,000 years into a pretty crazy future where humanity finds itself at war with aliens and mutants across the universe. Cavill has made it known in the past that he loves the game and has teased fans about his potential involvement, including recently in an interview with The Nerdist where he declared his favorite army and later name-dropped a character from the game that fans have been hoping he’d play: The Emperor of Mankind.

    As THR points out, the deal has not been sealed quite yet, though the potential for Warhammer 40,000 to become a multi-season sci-fi series is a strong selling point for Amazon.

  • James Gunn Raised the Stakes for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    James Gunn Raised the Stakes for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    James Gunn almost didn’t get to finish his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, but given the chance to do so, the director made sure it would be memorable. In an interview with EW, Gunn laid out the goals he has in mind for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and none of them are small in scale.

    Gunn hasn’t been shy in sharing that this film will be the last hurrah for this group of characters and that Rocket and his horrific origins will be at its center. “To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies,” said Gunn. “From the beginning, it has been rooted in who he is as a character. I think he exemplifies a lot of the traits of all the Guardians. They’ve had all these traumas, and it brings them together. I just think that his is more extreme than others. One of the reasons why I came back to [make] this movie” said Gunn of his decision to return after being let go, “was because I felt like I needed to tell Rocket’s story. I would’ve been very sad not to complete the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like nobody would be able to tell his full story if it wasn’t me.“

    Telling Rocket’s origins means the team will cross paths with Chukwudi Iwuji‘s High Evolutionary, who is responsible for the experiments that turned Rocket from an animal into the gruff and brilliant strategist fans know and love. “He was just fine being an animal, and he was transformed into something else he didn’t want to be,” Gunn said of Rocket. “I think that transformation itself was extremely painful, but I also think it made him feel incredibly alienated from everyone else. In Vol. 3, we learn a lot about his past — where he came from, who he is, and what he’s been through. It’s been a difficult road for the little animal.“

    It’s Rocket’s ties to the High Evolutionary that will drive the entire plot of the film, and put the Guardians in a precarious position and fans shouldn’t expect everyone to make it out alive. “This is the big one,” says Gunn of the finale. “This is where things really happen. This is where we get to know the truth about who these characters are, and we face the biggest stakes.” Who walks away and what comes next are certainly part of audiences’ fascination with the film, but the emotional first trailer for the project reminds fans to sit back and enjoy the ride and let the future take care of itself.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5th, 2023.

    Source: EW

  • ‘Avatar’ Producer Explains the Plan for the Franchise’s Many Sequels

    ‘Avatar’ Producer Explains the Plan for the Franchise’s Many Sequels

    James Cameron certainly understands how to toe the line between idealism and pragmatism when it comes to his Avatar franchise. Though the director says he has enough ideas to build out a total of 7 Avatar films, he’s also willing to let audience response to Avatar: The Way of Water inform his decision on the future of the franchise. Early word on the sequel, which opens in theaters across the globe on December 16th, indicates it might be another Cameron classic, giving Cameron the boost he needs to move ahead with the franchise.

    Given Cameron’s undeniable success as a director (the man has directed two of the top 3 highest-grossing films of all time in Avatar and Titanic), his patience and humility in regards to the Avatar franchise is noteworthy. As Cameron noted, the key to moving forward with the franchise is figuring out if fans “give a shit” about what’s next. In an interview with i09, Avatar producer Jon Landau detailed how he and Cameron hope to keep audiences engaged long enough to tell what could be a 7-film long-form story. Unsurprisingly, part of that is simply sticking with what worked so well in 2009’s Avatar.

    I think right now we want each movie to do exactly what the first movie did. We want [audiences] to go, ‘Wow. Where else could they go? They just showed us everything on Pandora.’ Then you go, ‘Holy cow. They’re going to the oceans. Wow. The oceans are amazing.’ Okay, that’s over. Where can it go? Same thing from an emotional story. We end the movie [Avatar] with Jake and this transformation. But we’ve suffered the loss of Grace, and we’ve suffered other things. We want people to come out of this movie with an emotional resolution that both calls for a yearning to go back to those characters and to the world.

    Jon Landau

    Landau’s explanation goes a long way in understanding why he’s called each film in the series “standalone” despite them very much being part of a shared narrative. For Landau and Cameron, each film in the series needs to both wow and satisfy audiences and the subsequent films then need to find ways to up the ante while connecting to the audience’s love of what came before. As other long-standing franchises such as James Bond and Star Wars have proven, that’s not always easy. However, Avatar has one advantage that those franchises have not had and that’s the consistent presence of Cameron from film to film.

    Source: i09

  • DC Studios New Slate Coming Together Ahead of an Early 2023 First Look

    DC Studios New Slate Coming Together Ahead of an Early 2023 First Look

    New year, new DC. In the weeks since James Gunn and Peter Safran have been transitioning into their new roles as co-heads of DC Studios, fans have had a front-row seat to the death of the Snyderverse as Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3 have been scrapped, then end of Dwayne Johnson‘s brief tenure as the self-appointed man in charge and the announcement of a brand new direction for Superman that does not include Henry Cavill. It’s been a busy time for Gunn and Safran and quite a roller coaster for fans but it looks like it’s just getting started.

    As part of a Twitter thread in which he announced his involvement with DC Studios’ new Superman film, Gunn indicated that he and Safran, who were expected to pitch their new slate to Warner Bros. Discovery recently, will kick off 2023 by rolling out at least a bit of what fans can expect from the future of DC Studios.

    Just what that might mean outside of Superman is completely unknown at the moment, though in recent social media responses, Gunn has potentially given some clues as to what characters and stories might be part of what’s next. As fans wait to hear what the long-term plan is, the immediate future includes the 2023 releases of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, the 2024 release of Joker: Folie à Deux and several projects set within Matt Reeves‘ Gotham-verse, including a sequel to The Batman and a streaming series focused on Colin Farrell‘s Oswald Cobblepot.