The mutants are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe…in fact, some are already here. Ms. Marvel made a major change to Kamala Khan’s origins and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which premiered last night in Hollywood, introduced Namor, often known in the comics as The First Mutant, even though that’s a wildly misleading misnomer. But the question that everyone wants answered, including She-Hulk, is when are the X-Men going to join the fray.
Marvel Studios One-Above-All Kevin Feige was asked that very question at the Purple Carpet Premiere of Wakanda Forever and gave an answer all too familiar to this reporter: “No answer.“
Feige did go on to give a little more information about the potential future of mutants in the MCU saying, “Deadpool and Wolverine…we’re getting close” in reference to the news that Hugh Jackman joined the cast of Deadpool 3, if that’s what it ends up being titled, after years of being pursued by co-star Ryan Reynolds.
Even with that little bit of information, Marvel Studios’ plans for the X-Men remain a tightly-guarded secret. Three years after the merger between Disney and Fox that allowed for the characters to be used in the MCU, no live-action X-Men projects have been announced and it’s unclear whether or not the X-Men are expected to play any role at all in Marvel Studios’ ongoing Multiverse Saga. The studio is, however, working on a revival of the classic X-Men: The Animated Series titled X-Men ’97, which is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2023.
Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streaming series, Andor, has been routinely described as a “slow burn”; to date, no episode has served as a better exemplar than Episode 8. The 12-episode first season has been neatly broken up into 3-episode arcs and, so far, the second episode of those arcs has seemed to work as the table setter for the high-energy third episode of each arc. That seems to be the case again with “Narkina 5,” though setting the table doesn’t make the episode any less critical.
Episode 8 takes the time to make the characters and the audience feel the extent of the Empire’s response to the Aldhani heist. Ironically, as three different factions search for Cassian for different reasons, he’s already found himself caught in the tightening grip of the Emprie. As Luthen Rael had hoped, the Empire’s response was swift and fierce and Cassian experiences it first-hand in the prison work camp on the planet of Narkina 5. By the end of the episode, a month has passed and while there’s no telling just how long Cassian will be in prison (we know it won’t be his entire six-year sentence), it’s worthwhile to wonder how his time there will shape him into the who we know he becomes. Director Toby Haynes makes the audience feel the mundane nature of Cassian’s time in prison, putting them through the same automated paces the prisoners experience, while also illustrating the hopelessness of the situation through the suicide of a fellow prisoner.
Meanwhile, it’s the wrong time to be a Rebel. As the episode showcases the precision of the Imperial machine (indeed the series’ lead finds himself a cog in the very machine he hoped to take down), it does so in contrast to the fractured nature of the Rebellion. Rael’s visit with extremist leader Saw Gerrera on Segra Milo illustrates just how slipshod the fledgling Rebel Alliance is, if it’s really an alliance at all. Rael and Gerrera lie and posture and argue only to ultimately find themselves no more likely to achieve their “shared” purpose than they were before their meeting, in fact, in light of the enlightening conversation they share, they seem to be parsecs apart.
A slow burn to be sure, but “Narkina 5,” which is another in a line of beautifully shot episodes in this series, brings the tension down a notch from previous weeks but does so simply to lay the groundwork for the next “event.” Though he tried to walk away, Cassian’s mission on Aldhani has led the ISB to Ferrix where they have begun to wrangle up any and everyone associated with him. Episode 8 begun to weave together many of the series’ ongoing, individual threads, causing the rough-and in some cases unexpected-intersection of their arcs. Karn and Meero’s meeting went about as smoothly as Rael and Gerrera’s, which certainly isn’t the way most fans had it playing out. How long does someone with Karn’s ambition stay sidelined? How will he respond to being dismissed by the Empire? These are fair questions which we didn’t even know needed answering. And that’s emblematic of what Andor has provided fans of Star Wars so far. For a series about a dead character, it’s certainly proven to be one of the most thought-provoking streaming series Lucasfilm has made to date.
Ryan Reynolds shocked fans around the world when he revealed that he had coaxed Hugh Jackman into reprising the role of Wolverine for Marvel Studios Deadpool 3. Jackman was adamant that his work with the character, who he played in nine films over seventeen years, and gave the character a proper send-off in 2017’s Logan. However, according to Jackman, discussions about a potential return as the character have been ongoing for longer than anyone might have thought.
In an interview with Variety, Jackman admits that the topic has been on his mind since seeing Deadpool in 2016, before he had begun filming Logan, but after he had publicly stated it would be his last hurrah as the character.
I went to a screening of ‘Deadpool.’ I was 20 minutes in, and I was like, ‘Ah, damn it!’” Jackman said. “All I kept seeing in my head was ‘48 Hrs.’ with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. So it’s been brewing for a long time. It just took me longer to get here.
Hugh Jackman
According to Jackman, Reynolds was eager to get him involved with Deadpool 3, especially once Marvel Studios gained the live-action rights to the characters in Disney’s 2019 merger with Fox, asking him “on the daily” to consider a Wolverine and Deadpool team-up. It wasn’t until this August (after Jackman believed that Reynolds had given up), however, that Jackman agreed to the deal.
Currently scheduled for a release date of November 8th, 2024, filming is expected to begin on the film next year. And while it’s been referred to as Deadpool 3, Jackman says that title might have to change. “I’m pretty sure Wolverine wouldn’t like that title,” teased Jackman in his interview with Variety. Surely Reynolds won’t begrudge a title change that includes Wolverine, given how long he’s pursued Jackman for the project.
As information about Marvel Studios’ 2023 streaming series Secret Invasion trickled out during production, one detail that remained a tightly-guarded secret was the identity of Emilia Clarke’s character. Now it seems as though Marvel Studios may have inadvertently let the cat out of the bag.
Of course, given that the series is an espionage thriller, it’s reasonable to question if Clarke really is Brand or if she’s a Skrull who is simming the character. Set photos showed Clarke’s character seemingly working with Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik, who is the villain of the series. In the comics, Brand is a half-alien/half-human mutant who worked with S.W.O.R.D. During the events of Secret Invasion, Brand played a key role in freeing Mr. Fantastic from Skrull imprisonment which helped lead to the end of the takeover.
Secret Invasion is currently slated for a Spring 2023 release on Disney Plus.
As news comes of Warner Bros. hiring of James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead the way for the newly-minted DC Studios, fans of Matt Reeves’The Batman also received a disappointing update on the sequel to the 2022 film. According to Variety’s Zack Sharf, The Batman 2 won’t be headed to theaters for at least another 3 years.
– JOKER 2 will exist outside the cinematic universe that James Gunn/Safran will build out
– THE BATMAN 2 doesn't have a finished script/ won't hit theaters until 2025 at the earliest
– Henry Cavill's SUPERMAN movie is now soliciting pitches from writershttps://t.co/FYvlwUCUbu
With all that going on, it’s easy to see how Reeves may not have The Batman 2 out in theaters anytime soon. However, it’s clear that there’s both an audience for Reeves’ vision and support for it at DC Studios, so while fans will have a bit of a wait, at least it won’t be a stressful one.
A look ahead into Disney +’s scheduled programming for the month of November may give some insight into when fans might expect to see The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The official Japanese Disney Plus site has released a look at what’s coming to the streaming service in the month of November and included on the list is an entry that should be interesting to MCU fans.
According to the site, two episodes of “Marvel Studios Unknown Secrets.” What appears to be lost in translation is that those are episodes 25 and 26 of Marvel Studios Legends, the official description of which can be read below.
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand, Marvel Studios: Legends celebrates and codifies what has come before. Revisit the epic heroes, villains and moments from across the MCU in preparation for the highly anticipated stories still to come. Each dynamic segment feeds directly into the upcoming series premiering on Disney+ — setting the stage for future events. Marvel Studios: Legends weaves together the many threads that constitute the unparalleled Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Essentially, the short Legends episodes serve as a way to remind fans (old and new) of the adventures of the characters that will be featured in upcoming projects. For instance, episodes 22, 23 and 24 of the series will focus on King T’Challa, Princess Shuri and the Dora Milaje ahead of the theatrical release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Over the course of 2022, the Legends episodes have come out just about one week ahead of the debuts of the projects they’re associated with. The three episodes on the characters from Wakanda are scheduled to follow this trend, releasing on November 4th, one week ahead of the film’s November 11th theatrical debut.
It’s logical to connect the November 23rd episodes of Marvel Legends to the only other known Marvel Studios project in 2022: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Assuming that Disney Plus chooses to follow the same timeline they have all year, it’s reasonable to expect the James Gunn-led special presentation will debut the week of November 28th.
There’s been no trailer released for the special to date and other than a few tidbits here and there, not much has been shared publicly about what to expect from the special. It is known that it takes place between the events of Thor: Love and Thunder and next summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Rumors have covered appearances from Kevin Bacon, Santa Clause and the Silver Surfer, but outside of the key returning members of the Guardians, Marvel Studios has not confirmed anyone.
Well, yes, but the Holiday Special takes place between Love & Thunder and Vol 3 not between Vol 2 and IW. https://t.co/VbQPYRaJz6
Following SDCC ’22, Secret Wars is no longer a secret. Kevin Feige unveiled Marvel Studios incredibly ambitious Multiverse Saga in July and even though some dates have shifted around a bit since then, it still all ends with Avengers: Secret Wars on May 1st, 2026. Michael Waldron, who introduced the rules of the Multiverse in Loki and then took Doctor Strange on a brief tour of it in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has been tasked with writing the film, but as of now, the project is without a director. Marvel Studios doesn’t need to be in a rush given the film doesn’t release for over three and a half years, but with a project this big, it’s likely they’ve narrowed down their list and will be choosing someone soon. With that in mind, here’s a look at some in-house candidates that aren’t Joe and Anthony Russo who might be up for the big job…
Ryan Coogler
Among the in-house candidates to take on Avengers: Secret Wars, Ryan Coogler is inarguably the most talented and arguably the safest choice. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is about to blow up the box office, likely giving Coogler two of the highest-grossing non-Avengers films. All logic would dictate that Feige and Coogler had to have at least talked about the possibility of him directing Avengers: Secret Wars. The only real question might be: does he want to do it? Coogler is a deeply passionate creator and I’ve often heard his approach to the worlds of Wakanda and now Talocan compared with the depth of George Lucas’ creation of the Star Wars universe. It’s possible, maybe even likely, that Coogler would prefer to continue to develop more projects (Ironheart, for example, is led by Coogler’s production team) within and connected to these worlds. Whether he chooses to stick to what he’s doing or tackle Avengers: Secret Wars, fans of the MCU still win.
Nia DaCosta
Marvel Studios has had some troubled productions since 2020. Whether due to COVID, changing directors, clashing visions, starting productions with 2/3 of a script or reshooting third acts, some of the roads on the way to what have all been fine finsihed products have been bumpy. One production that by all accounts seems to have been fairly smooth sailing, however, was The Marvels. The films three leads, Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris have all gone on record gushing about working with diretor Nia DaCosta, who took on a heavy project in her first MCU gig. DaCosta also reportedly established a great rapport with Feige, who was very pleased with The Marvels, a film which I’ve heard nothing but great things about. Having handled a team-up film in her first go around gives DaCosta some sense of what Avengers: Secret Wars will be like, even if it’s not quite the same scale. DaCosta checks a lot of the boxes the studio is likely using to choose the director for that project.
Peyton Reed
Reed may not be a popular choice amongst fans, but his first two Ant-Man films were solid, if not underrated, entries that were done the disservice of being released near major event films. By all accounts (and the trailer allows fans their first look at it), Reed absolutely slayed it with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania which had what I’ve heard called one of Marvel’s best-ever scripts by Jeff Loveness. The teaser should make it clear that Quantumania will be a major step up in terms of the impact the film will have on the ongoing saga when compared to the previous two Ant-Man films and it should also be clear that this Variant of Jonathan Majors’ Kang is one of the ones to be worried about. Reed had a huge job to do and he nailed it. He’s proven he can run a clean production, he’s worked extensively with the Volume (which will be needed on something like Secret Wars) and has a great relationship with Marvel Studios and Feige. Don’t sleep on Reed connecting with Waldron on Avengers: Secret Wars.
Long-running horror franchises are often only as good as their iconic killers and John Kramer/Jigsaw quickly joined the list of terrifying maniacs after the 2004 release of Saw and its subsequent sequels. Though the character died in Saw III, he’s lived on through flashbacks as inspiration for fellow psychos as the franchise has evolved. Actor Tobin Bell has played Kramer in 8 of the 9 films in the series (Spiral being the only film in which he did not appear) and now a new report from One Take News has the actor returning for the tenth installment in the franchise.
Bell is back on board for Saw X, which Lionsgate promised will capture “hearts — and other body parts — with all-new twisted, ingenious traps and a new mystery to solve” when it releases in theaters on October 27th, 2023. Kevin Greutert, who directed Saw VI and Saw 3D/Saw VII, is back for the tenth film and is working from a script by Spiral co-writers Jose Stolber and Peter Goldfinger.
Commenting on the announcement, Saw franchise producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules told One Take News, “What a thrill to be reuniting with Tobin. His performance as John Kramer is part of the magic that made this franchise a phenomenon and his character is an active part of this film.”
Earlier this year, following the announcement of the film, Burg and Koules, who have been with the franchise since its inception, promised fans more of what they’ve come to love about the series:
We have been listening to what the fans have been asking for and are hard at work planning a movie that Saw aficionados and horror fans alike will love. And part of that is giving the reins to Kevin Greutert, director of Saw VI, which is still one of the fans’ favorites in the entire series. More details will be revealed soon.
Along with a first-look teaser and a poster for their upcoming 2023 film, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quatumania, Marvel Studios has released a synopsis for the Peyton Reed-helmed project.
In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang. Director Peyton Reed returns to direct the film; Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard produce.
News of the development of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania was first broken in October 2019. COVID put the project on hold, but it has always been intended to be a MAJOR movie, as reported here.
Marvel Studios has made the decision to move ahead with the third 'ANT-MAN' film. About 2 weeks ago, I was told it was expected to film Summer of 2021. Yesterday I found the hard evidence I was looking for: Pym Particles Productions III LLC was formed a little over a month ago. pic.twitter.com/oeemIiX54o
— Murphy's Multiverse of Podcasts (@PodcastMurphy) October 17, 2019
Oscar Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has been chosen to direct what’s being described as a “secret” Star Wars film based off a script from Damon Lindelof and an as yet unnamed co-writer. Though the film is still in the early stages of development, the report indicates that it has gained steam at Lucasfilm and is among its top priorites on its theatrical slate. Rumors of Lindelof’s involvement in the project date back to March of 2022.
Obaid-Chinoy recently directed a pair of episodes for Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel, its highest-rated streaming project to date, and continues to ascend. While Lindelof is known for his work on the television side of things, with hits like Lost and HBO’s Watchmen, for which he won two Primetime Emmys, he also has two Star Trek films, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and World War Z under his belt as feature films, so he’s certainly not stranger to penning major theatrical releases. The report indicates that Lindelof and Lucasfilm were keen on finding a director for the project while it was still in the writing stage in order to help shape the vision for the film.
Lucasfilm has not had a Star Wars film in theaters since 2019 but currently has two untitled Star Wars films on their slate of upcoming releases, one set for December 19th, 2025 and the other for December 17, 2027. While the report indicates that production on the Obaid-Chinoy/Lindelof project is expected to be a ways, it’s possible it lands on one of these two dates, especially considering the relative lack of movement on other Star Wars film, both rumored and announced.
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