Owen Wilson has joined the cast of Marvel Studios upcoming Disney Plus series, Loki. Comicbook.com revealed that the 51 year old actor, who had recently been spotted in Atlanta alongside star Tom Hiddleston, had landed a “major” yet unknown in the MCU.
Wilson joins Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino in the series which is now in production and is expected to stream on Disney Plus in the Spring of 2021.
Production on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is set to get underway shortly in Australia and some casting information has begun to leak including some very exciting, if not expected, news: the film will introduce MI-6 agents Leiko Wu, Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr.
MI-6 or Military Intelligence, Section 6 is the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service and has played a major role in the Master of Kung Fu comics on which Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is based. After coming to understand the true nature of his father, international terrorist and crime lord Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi worked alongside and then with MI-6, most frequently teaming up with agents Clive Reston, Black Jack Tarr and Leiko Wu, with whom he also had a romantic relationship.
The film will apparently introduce the idea that Shang-Chi worked for MI-6 at one time, but has since made his “departure from the world.” Reston (whose now confirmed presence in the film was first rumored by HNE) is described as Shang-Chi’s old partner and friend who is now married to Leiko Wu, an elite MI-6 operative who once had “strong feelings” for the Master of Kung Fu. Fellow MI-6 agentBlack Jack Tarr, always up for a fight in the comics, is described as an “elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of the battle.”
The studio was searching for a Caucasian male, 45-50 for Reston; a Chinese female, 26-39 for Wu; a Caucasian male 30-49 for Tarr. It is believed that these roles have been filled at this time though I was unable to get responses from representatives of several actors.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit theaters February 12, 2021.
Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.
So, thing I heard this week (well, I heard it months ago but this is the week I’m talking about it): While filming the Disney picture Jungle Cruise, Emily Blunt met with Marvel Studios about a role in an upcoming film.
That’s it. That is all I heard. Don’t know if she signed or passed on yet another Marvel Studios role. I don’t even know what the role they discussed was. However, with the new character description (which many of us are ASSUMING is Clea) now out there, it seemed the right time to mention the meeting.
This is a story that maybe isn’t really a story because if nothing ever comes of it, then it was nothing. It is, however, interesting and I’m choosing to share it now after not doing anything with it for several months because of the latest round of Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness casting calls which call for a VERY strong “leading lady type”. late-20s to early 40s, who can be a “contemporary” to Strange.
Blunt is 36 years old and one of THE premiere female action stars in Hollywood. She not only fits the age requirement, she has all the chops and a long list of hits to be the new “leading lady” and certainly someone who can go on screen with Benedict Cumberbatch and be seen as his “contemporary.” She can do more than that. She can go toe-to-toe with Cumberbatch and knock his Stephen Strange down a few pegs when the time is right. Strange fans have longed for Clea to be a part of this sequel and a part of Strange’s MCU journey; Emily Blunt might be just the right actress for the role.
Of course there’s no way for me to know if she was talking about Clea, Sue Storm, Medusa (just in case those Inhuman reinvention rumors were true) or even a character in Eternals or another property I don’t even know about. What I do know is that the more I think about a list of actresses who can give what it takes to portray Clea appropriately, I can’t make that list without her on it.
If you’ve never read an installment of Connecting Imaginary Dots, allow me to explain the idea. Connecting Imaginary Dots was the title I came up with for my speculation pieces when I was writing at MCU Exchange. These types of pieces basically allow me to unload a bunch of junk that’s circulating in my brain in a way that should never be confused for things I actually expect to happen. I basically take a bunch of facts that are almost always entirely unrelated and do my best to connect the dots with by stretching my imagination. In the past these types of pieces have resulted in me theorizing that the Spider-Man sequel which became Far From Home might end up being a team-up outing of Spidey and Hulk in the Savage Land;however, I also wrote one theorizing that Sterling K. Brown would be playing the father of Erik Killmonger in Black Panther LOOOOOONG before anyone else was considering it and one in which I theorized that Annette Bening was actually Mar-Vell when everyone else still thought Jude Law was playing the character. The bottom line is this: these are fun spec pieces that allow me to just be a fan. With that out of the way…
A recent update to IMDB (which I am well aware can be unreliable) produced some information that, if true, could be considered incredibly interesting. The update indicated that actor Olli Haaskivi had joined the upcoming Disney Plus series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier as Dr. Wilfred Nagel.
If you find yourself asking who Dr. Wilfred Nagel is and why he might matter, don’t feel bad because he’s certainly not a popular character and not one that has accumulated a lot of appearances. First appearing in the 2003 limited series, Truth: Red, White and Black, he is however notable for one incredibly important thing: in an attempt to carry on the work of Project: Rebirth begun by Dr. Abraham Erskine, Nagel, under the alias Josef Reinstein, experimented on a group of 300 African-America soldiers, including one by the name of Isaiah Bradley.
Bradley, the only soldier to survive the trials, takes a Captain America costume and goes on a one man mission against the Nazis. The mission, unfortunately, fails and Bradley is captured and experimented on by the Nazis as they try to reverse engineer the new batch of Super Soldier serum. Though freed from his captors, Bradley is court-martialed and imprisoned for nearly 20 years before being pardoned. The legend of Bradley, the “Black Captain America”, however, had taken root in the Marvel Comics Universe and Bradley became well-known and respected in the African-American community.
Upon meeting Bradley, whose physical and mental states had deteriorated significantly, Steve Rogers began to learn more about Project: Rebirth.
If we are seeing Nagel, it seems very likely that he’s either there for the same reason he was introduced in the comics OR they’ve greatly altered his story and the MCU version will be responsible for production of the Super Soldier serum used by John Walker.
Here’s to hoping it’s the former. As fans know, if we get to meet Isaiah Bradley, his grandson Elijah might not be too far behind. And that’s another Young Avenger and…well, that’s another story.
A new report from the Illuminerdi suggests that the Marvel Studios Disney Plus Series Loki will introduce Sera, a transgender character first introduced in 2014’s Angela: Asgard’s Assassin, to the MCU in a strong supporting role.
Should this report prove to be correct, Sera would be the first transgender character to be heavily featured in a Marvel Studios project. In the comics, the character is an Anchorite, a group of male angels from the previously unknown Tenth Realm: Heven. She was featured heavily in Angela: Asgard’s Assassin as she first helped, then fell in love with Angela before eventually marrying her. Sera’s inclusion in the series could very well indicate that it will introduce Heven and, potentially Angela. Though the trades suggested she might be playing a female version of Loki, actress Sophia Di Martino’s role in the series has never been clearly defined, so it’s possible that she could be playing Angela, if they are including that character in the series.
Loki is now filming in Atlanta and is currently scheduled to stream on Disney Plus in the Spring of 2021.
In early January, I had heard that Marvel Studios had settled on an actress for the role of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel for its upcoming Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel. At the moment, it appears that search is ongoing.
Early this afternoon I learned that Marvel Studios had either reopened or extended the search for an actress to play Khan. This means one of two things: the original actress either didn’t sign on/dropped out of the role or one was never found in the first place. I’m inclined to lean into the former as the source who shared the news with me originally has been incredibly reliable.
Regardless of the scenario, this is an important character for the studio to cast and one that will come both with great fame and great stress, especially for a young woman 15-20 years old. As of now, it appears we may not find out the identity of that young woman any time soon.
The illuminderi have come out of the gates swinging and, on Friday afternoon, launched another haymaker with the report that Marvel Studios is searching for a Caribbean actor for a lead role in next year’s Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness. While the character was not identified, it seems like a safe bet that it is for Jericho Drum, aka Brother Voodoo. I can confirm that the studio is searching for an actor in his late 20s to early 40s for the role.
First appearing in Strange Tales #169, the Haitian born Jericho Drumm left for America to become a psychologist. Upon returning home, he found his brother, Daniel, the local Houngan or Voodoo priest, dying from a spell cast on him. Before he passed, Daniel made Jericho promise to study to become a Houngan, starting his path towards eventually replacing Stephen Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme.
The inclusion of Jericho Drumm has been expected for some time. His brother, Daniel, the keeper of the New York Sanctum, was killed by Kaecilius in Doctor Strange, setting the stage for him to learn the mystic arts as he works to keep the memory of his brother alive.
Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is due in theaters May 7, 2021.
Earlier this month, I shared the news that production on Stranger Things would kick off in Lithuania before heading to Atlanta, though I was unable to pin down an exact date. It now looks as though we can expect stateside production on the hit series fourth season to begin in or around early March.
Recent interviews with the cast have indicated that the production wheels are just beginning to spin on the new season, meaning more news should become available soon.
Actor Noah Mills (The Enemy Within, The Brave) has joined Marvel Studios upcoming live-action series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in an undisclosed role.
Mills, who was seen on set recently, joins Desmond Chiam and Miki Ishikawa as members of the cast whose roles have yet to be revealed. The series seems to have taken quite a bit of inspiration from Mark Gruenwald’s epic 80’s run on Captain America that introduced characters such as John Walker, Lemar Hoskins, Rachel Leighton, Crossbones and more to Cap’s roster of supporting characters.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is filming now and is expected to stream on Disney Plus this Fall.
Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and WandaVision are deep into production with both series on schedule for late-Winter/early-Spring wrap parties. As those two productions start winding down, the third Disney Plus series, Loki, started production earlier this week just as I told you last week. With the start of production came confirmation of something we’ve been hearing about but, until now, I had never seen solid evidence of.
Things I heard this week: actors being brought on board for lead and major supporting roles in Loki are having options for a possible second season written into their deals.
Now it’s a fine line between what this does mean and what it does not mean. It does not mean that, as of today, I can confirm with 100% certainty that a second season of Loki will happen. I will say that there’s plenty of evidence which supports the idea that it’s a great possibility.
The first indicator was the naming of the limited liability company Disney formed for Loki: Limbo Productions I LLC. The inclusion of the Roman numeral I means Kevin Feige had already given thought to a second season, which would be produced under Limbo Productions II LLC.
Additionally, writers at other sites and “those in the know” have indicated they’ve heard rumblings about the potential for a second season of the show. Those are both great indicators, but for me, the FACT that contracts are being written to include the option is the most concrete indicator we could ask for.
So, what this DOES mean is that Marvel Studios has developed a series that, if all things go smoothly, will not only dovetail into Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness and, possibly, Thor: Love and Thunder, but also leave some threads hanging that could be picked up again in Season 2.
Overall, this is potentially great news for fans of Loki and Tom Hiddleston, but I’d caution against celebrating too hard just yet as there are still some moving parts that will have to mesh before it’s a certainty. That said, I’m told the studio is already looking into studio space in which to film Season 2 in 2021, so…there’s that. Things are looking good for the Son of Secrets.
