Batgirl never made it to theaters but has somehow become one of Warner Bros. Discovery’s most talked-about films. The film, which was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, was scrapped earlier this year before it had a chance to release and has since developed into one of superhero cinema’s greatest mysteries. While canceling movies isn’t unusual for Hollywood, it is a bit strange to dump a project after it’s completed filming, and fans are desperate to know what they would have seen had Batgirl been made public. Its cast, led by promising newcomer Leslie Grace, featured the grand return of Michael Keaton as Batman and a redemptive villain role for internet darling Brendan Fraser, who is in the midst of an immense career comeback.
With so much untapped potential in a single project, many hope that Batgirl might one day receive the Zack Snyder’s Justice League treatment and get its time in the spotlight via streaming release. The flames of these desires were stoked by the news that a private screening of the film was held for cast and crew on the Warner Bros. Discovery lot, lending credibility to the idea that a mostly-finished version of Batgirl could exist somewhere in storage. Unfortunately, during a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Arbi and Fallah revealed this was not the case. Speaking candidly, Arbi explained that the footage shown to those involved with the film was totally unfinished, and not even their latest edit.
While the duo shares the hope that a final cut of the movie can eventually be released, they also say there’s a long way to go before that happens:
We still needed additional photography, there were a lot of scenes missing, and the VFX was not there. I don’t know if [Warner Bros.] are really gonna go for that, but we’ll see, sometimes we think it’s fucked, but sometimes it’s like … maybe!
Adil El Arbi
As previously mentioned, the studio was in a similar boat with Zack Snyder‘s version of Justice League after releasing a heavily edited take by Joss Whedon in theaters instead. Intense internet scrutiny lead to WBD spending quite a bit of additional money to complete Snyder‘s vision and drop it on HBO Max. The payoff wasn’t as large as anticipated, however, which may impact Batgirl‘s odds of a second chance.
For Arbi and Fallah, this experience of losing a filmed project and not getting it back has been somewhat unreal. The former reminisced on the unfortunate circumstances of their last few years before commenting on Batgirl‘s status:
You’ve got to imagine, we’re two fanboys, and for one second we were in the Batman universe, following in the footsteps of Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan, and then it was just like we woke up and it was a dream.
Adil El Arbi
Ever upbeat, Arbi does manage to find a silver lining amongst all the disappointment:
This is something that never happened before, so we’ve kind of become part of movie history without even trying!
Adil El Arbi
The duo is now working on their next film, a political thriller titled Rebel.
By now, the sudden and surprising cancellation of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Batgirl film is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, with the likes of Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton, and Brendan Fraser in starring roles, the movie was nearly complete by the time of its now-infamous canning at the hands of new WBD CEO David Zaslav. To make matters worse, the creative duo behind the project were reportedly unaware of its demise before the news broke online, and found out they were unexpectedly unemployed along with everybody else. However, despite the unsavory circumstances surrounding Batgirl‘s end, it would appear Arbi and Fallah are still game to return to WBD’s world of capes and crusaders.
Speaking exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter, the directors – also known for their work on the hit sequel Bad Boys for Life and Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel – revealed that their feelings aren’t hard enough to prevent another collaboration with the studio that blindsided them. Asked directly, Fallah explained a second job with Warner Bros. would come with a very understandable condition:
Yeah, we’d still work with them. But on the condition that the movie comes out. I mean, if Warner says, ‘Do you want to do the next Batman or Superman?,’ of course we’ll say yes. Just so long as the movie comes out!
Bilall Fallah
As for which project specifically the duo would like to take on, a recent post from Arbi on his Instagram stories might hold the answer. Over the weekend, the creative threw some fan art of the cult classic animated series Batman Beyond on his social media with no caption, causing many of his followers to believe he might secretly be working on something inspired by the show.
Batgirl Director, Adil El Arbi, shared on Instagram some Batman Beyond fan art by artist WeeArts 🦇 pic.twitter.com/YwX7QyC4th
In his THR interview, Arbi stated this was not the case, but that he and Fallah would not be opposed to helming an adaptation if an offer was on the table:
You know, maybe in the future … when Batman is not being made by Matt Reeves … Batman Beyond is really super cool. And I just saw that and thought that’s really badass. So who knows? Maybe in the future one day if they ask us to do that, we wouldn’t say no. But you can dream, right?
Ail El Arbi
Batman Beyond was an animated series that ran on WB Kids from 1999 until 2001. It served as a sequel to Bruce Timm‘s iconic Batman: The Animated Series set decades into a sci-fi future where an elderly Bruce Wayne is now retired and mentoring his successor, a young man named Terry McGinnis. Arbi and Fallah have already convinced Michael Keaton to play this version of Wayne once, so perhaps they might one day be able to do it again. Until then, the duo will remain hard at work on their next film – Rebel, a “pacey action thriller about two Muslim Belgian brothers dealing with identity alongside ISIS radicalization and recruitment during the war in Syria“.
Director James Gunn has promised an emotional ride for fans when they finally sit down to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The film is set to act as the finale for the titular team and their time together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as a goodbye from Gunn to his years working at Marvel Studios. A trailer for the threequel, which recently debuted at Brazil Comic Con, embraced the poignant tone set by the occasion and featured plenty of footage that seemed to hint at somebody not making it out of the film alive. The previous entries in the franchise have both been full of heartbreaking moments, the circumstances of which usually have something to do with a major character taking their last breath, and it would stand to reason Gunn wouldn’t finish off the trilogy without taking at least one more cast member with him.
With the future of the Guardians currently so up in the air, it feels like any one of the lovably dysfunctional, intergalactic misfits could end up biting the stardust. Nobody is truly safe, but it’s likely some are probably safer than others. Not every character feels quite as poised to end their on-screen journey, even if nothing is really off the table. As such, the situation begs for a ranking of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy in order of their likelihood to face an untimely demise at the hands of Vol. 3.
Here’s how it all shakes out:
1. Rocket
This is the one everyone has been assuming for a while, and honestly, everyone has a good chance of being totally correct. While there’s been a lot of talk about certain characters “meeting their maker” by the end of Vol. 3, Bradley Cooper‘s Rocket will be the only one taking the phrase seriously. Gunn‘s trilogy capper is confirmed to explore the origins of Rocket in the MCU and will bring the anthropomorphic animal face-to-face with the man who created him – Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary. The film will deal with the fallout of this reunion and dig into its impact on the team as a whole, something that may feel familiar to fans of the franchise. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 pulled a similar move in expanding upon the origin of Michael Rooker‘s Yondu Udonta before killing him off in a soul-stirring sequence of self-sacrifice. At this point, it really feels like Gunn might do the same with Rocket in the follow-up.
To elaborate just a little further, Rocket has thus far enjoyed one of the most well-developed character arcs the MCU has been able to offer, and a definitive conclusion to that arc in Vol. 3 would be a natural way for the unlikely hero’s story to end. If that weren’t enough, Gunn himself has gone on record multiple times to state Vol. 3 would be a “send-off” for his favorite protagonist, repeating himself as recently as last month in an interview with Deadline:
The reason why I needed to finish this is because I love the character of Rocket more than any character I’ve ever dealt with before, and I needed to finish his story and that is what Volume 3 is about. I absolutely needed to do it, and I think we’ve done it in a spectacular way that I can’t wait for people to see.
James Gunn
It’s possible this is all one big ruse to hide the actual big death in the movie, but if that’s the case, it’s one of the better cons ever pulled by a director. This one feels too obvious.
2. Drax
There isn’t much story-wise that directly points to a coming expiration for Dave Bautista‘s Drax the Destroyer, but a few real-world instances have shot the character to the top half of the “probably going to die” list. To put it plainly, Bautista himself has been very open about his intention to leave Drax behind after Vol. 3, and with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special fulfilling the dream of a Drax/Mantis project coming to life, Gunn has been able to do pretty much everything he’s publicly stated he wanted to do with the blood-loving, soft-hearted space warrior. Bautista, never one to mince words, has been referring to Vol. 3 as his last ride for a while now and even posted a farewell message on his Instagram back in May.
The only reason Drax isn’t a more surefire bet than Rocket is because there’s still a decent amount of comic book material the MCU could work with in the future. At this point, the films have not yet drawn from the comic return of his long-thought-deceased daughter in the form of Moondragon, which could prove to be a wonderful plotline for a future movie or series. However, that could simply be a surprise twist Gunn is hiding for Vol. 3, and if so, her appearance may seal Drax’s fate immediately. After all, Bautista‘s career is on the rise, with several other projects on his plate. He may be on board to leave the MCU on a high note. Also, #GoodbyeDrax doesn’t sound all that promising.
3. Nebula
Perhaps a sleeper pick for the film’s big passing, Karen Gillan‘s Nebula actually has evidence going against her survival both on the screen and off. Much like Rocket, Gillan‘s rough-and-tumble space pirate has undergone a bit of a transformation since audiences first saw her in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Nebula started as an antagonist for the titular heroes, but has since become a trusted member of the team, and even served as an impromptu Avenger for a brief period of time. Also like Rocket, Gunn has gone on record in the past to say Nebula’s dramatic development over the course of his three films has been planned from the very beginning. Standard knowledge of plot structure would imply that, if her story was conceptualized as having three parts, an end for the character is, at the very least, somewhere in sight.
Furthermore, both Gunn and his buddy, actor and comedian Seth Green, have stated that Vol. 3‘s script is quite heavy on Nebula. An increased amount of screen time in the last project a character is planned to appear in is, often, not a great sign for anyone hoping to see them continue living. Green specifically commented on a lot of the plot revolving around the relationship between Nebula and her sister, Gamora. If one of those two had to sacrifice themself for the other, as will be outlined later, there’s a higher chance of it being the former. Gillan herself may have also put a final nail in the Nebula coffin, taking a page from Bautista‘s book and giving her character a send-off on Instagram:
Sure, she says it’s possible this is Nebula’s “final chapter”, but at least she left a little room for hope at the beginning.
4. Star-Lord
What better way to close a trilogy than to kill off the main character? Of course, the answer is giving them a happy ending everyone can enjoy, but something like that might not carry the kind of gut-punch Gunn is aiming for with Vol. 3. Chris Pratt‘s Peter Quill, the self-proclaimed Star-Lord, has been the heart and soul of the Guardians since the franchise launched in 2014. He is, for all intents and purposes, the lead of the trilogy, which automatically puts him in contention for a big death to close it all off. This is especially true when one considers how willing Quill has been to die for his found family at the end of both previous films, and how absolutely heart-wrenching Gunn and company know it would be to have him meet his mother again in some sort of afterlife. Not saying that will happen literally, but the internet does love to make edits.
The major thing holding Peter back from the top of the list is the massive potential he holds for the future of the MCU’s cosmic storytelling. Even if he’s no longer a leader of the Guardians, Star-Lord is a central figure in most of the comics’ best intergalactic stories and is complex enough to transform for a new era in much the same way as Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor. It may feel like Quill is destined to end with the trilogy that made him a star(lord), but it might actually just be the conclusion of one book before another is opened. It seems just a little more likely that Pratt gets some time off from playing Peter before coming back as a changed man down the line.
5. Mantis
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special just gave Pom Klementieff‘s Mantis a pretty big emotional connection to the heart of the franchise’s story and did a great job of engraining her forever as a Guardians fan-favorite. While this is all well and good, they could also just be setting it up to hurt more when Mantis is offed by the end of Vol. 3. Truthfully, though, Mantis is probably safe. She’s a newer character to the franchise, with a lot of room left to explore. That doesn’t instantly save her from death, but it would make her a pretty good through line between the next iteration of the Guardians and the team that came before. Also, there isn’t much in the way of evidence to point toward curtains in Mantis’ near future. In fact, there’s more evidence going the other way, with Klementieff recently making an appearance on the D23 Inside Disney podcast and making a few comments that hint toward a continued existence in the MCU.
When asked if there would be more adventures for Mantis in a post-Vol. 3 world, the actress replied carefully, not giving anything away but not really hinting at a demise either:
I can’t say much because, you know, the movie’s going to be released a long time from now, in May. But what I can say is that, again, it’s going to be very funny but also extremely emotional. And it’s going to be, in some ways, you know, the end of a chapter, as the Guardians of the Galaxy family. So we’ll see what happens after, you know? It’s not like ‘over over’ but, you know, it’s still…it’s going to be different after.
Pom Klementieff
When asked a follow-up about starring in a Mantis solo project, Klemetieff responded, “Yes! Oh, that’d be fun for sure“. It doesn’t really sound like she’s expecting her journey to end in Vol. 3.
6. Gamora
Reader, Gamora has already died in the MCU. That’s the main argument to be made against Zoe Saldana‘s space assassin having a big, dramatic death in Vol. 3. Granted, one might be able to see the storytelling advantages of killing her off a second time. She means a whole lot to several members of the main group, and the idea of getting her back – against all odds – just to so quickly lose her again could work in the way of total devastation for fans and the film’s cast alike. It’s also possible that the team finds themselves in a situation where someone has to go, and Gamora volunteers herself knowing she’s displaced from her real timeline anyway. It’s just that all of that comes off as cheap on paper, and Gunn isn’t going for anything cheap in his final Marvel outing. Unless there’s a fantastic concept for a second Gamora death scene, it isn’t supremely likely that the creatives behind the Guardians double down on tears for Saldana.
7. Kraglin
One might assume Sean Gunn‘s Kraglin is disqualified from death in Vol. 3 because he’s not a big enough character to elicit the proper audience reaction, but that’s pretty silly thinking. At this point, everyone should have grasped the concept that no character is too small to bring tears to viewers’ eyes. Especially in James Gunn‘s hands. The real reason Kraglin is disqualified from death is that he’s the obvious future of the Ravagers, and he can’t perish before nailing down how to control that darned arrow. When Vol. 3 opens, Gamora will be in charge of the Ravagers, but there’s only a very tiny chance that is still true by the time credits roll. If she doesn’t remain as captain of the Ravagers, it only seems fitting that Kraglin finally ascend to his rightful place. This is the ending he deserves, and both Gunn brothers know it.
8. Groot
Vin Diesel‘s Groot will probably survive Vol. 3 on the same clause keeping Gamora alive, and that’s the simple fact that Gunn has already killed him off once before. The original Groot met a perfect and beautiful end during the climax of the first film, and it’s hard to imagine his son topping it at such a young age in Vol. 3. The more interesting plotline would be Groot finding his way in the galaxy without Rocket by his side, something that feels more and more bound to happen as the release date draws near.
9. Cosmo
After making a short cameo in the first film and landing a supporting role in the Holiday Special, Maria Bakalova‘s Cosmo will become an official member of the Guardians when Vol. 3 eventually lands in theaters. The thing is, there’s almost no way she dies in the movie. Not only is she essentially still a brand new character, who has massive potential as a founding member of the Guardians 2.0, but there is not a soul attending the premiere of Vol. 3 who wants to see the adorable talking dog eat it so fast? That seems harsh even for noted horror connoisseur James Gunn.
Kate Dickie has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadline announced today that the Game of Thrones actress secretly, but officially, joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ Loki for its upcoming second season at some point during filming. While exact details surrounding Dickie‘s role are still being kept under wraps, the outlet stated it’s believed she will be playing a villain when she appears in the series. Production on the second season of Loki has already been completed, so the former Tinsel Town star was likely added to the cast quietly several months ago.
She joins returning leads Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino, as well as Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Eugene Cordero, and Tara Strong. The only other confirmed newcomers, at this time, are Blindspotting star Rafael Casal, whose role is also still unknown, and Ke Huy Quan.
Loki Season 2 is set to be directed by the duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, taking over for Kate Herron from the first season, and written by Eric Martin, who replaces Michael Waldron. Plot details for the show’s second outing are sparse, but it’s expected to pick up where the previous season finale left off, with Hiddleston‘s Loki mysteriously stuck in a foreign version of the Time Variance Authority, seemingly run by a variant of Jonathan Majors‘ He Who Remains. It is unknown if Majors will return.
There is no current release date for Loki‘s second season, though it is slated to premiere sometime in the middle of 2023.
Bob Odenkirk is back in the butt-kicking business. Last year, the fan-favorite actor starred in Nobody, an original action film by John Wick producers David Leitch and Kelly McCormick and director Ilya Naishuller. The story centered around Odenkirk‘s Hutch Mansell, a former government assassin who is inspired to come out of his dull retirement when a group of mob-affiliated burglars threatens his family. Nobody quickly became a surprise hit with audiences, and in August, Leitch stated he was inspired to work on a script for a potential sequel. That was the last update fans had received on the idea until this week when McCormick revealed Nobody 2 is definitely happening and will begin filming as soon as next year.
The news came while McCormick was promoting 87North Production’s latest project, Violent Night, which is now in theaters. Speaking exclusively with Collider, the producer explained that the hope is for Nobody 2 to start rolling cameras by the end of 2023:
We hope to make it [Nobody 2’s production] next year, so fingers crossed. So our theory is you don’t need to make a good sequel just to make a sequel. We need to make a great sequel. And so it’s about making sure that we get it right. And if we do, I think there’s a lot of hope that we can go next year.
Kelly McCormick
Of course, McCormick did not spill any information on the sequel’s plot, but it’s safe to say Odenkirk will return to his role and probably kill some more bad guys. Nobody ended with a teaser that hinted Christopher Lloyd and RZA, who play Hutch’s father and brother, respectively, would have bigger roles in a possible follow-up, a plotline that may be too good for Leitch and company to pass up when the time comes.
Zack Snyder‘s Rebel Moon is closer to reality than ever before. The next cinematic epic from the Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga’Hoole director has officially wrapped filming for its lead actress, Sofia Boutella, and is presumably drawing close to the finish line. Boutella shared the news herself on Instagram, posting an image of the clapper from her final day on set and revealing just how long she spent working on the project. According to the post’s caption, the Kingsman breakout spent 152 days in front of the camera, over the course of a full year. She closed her comments with a simple sentimental message, “I left a big piece of my heart up there,” followed by a series of moon-themed emojis that represent the film.
Rebel Moon revolves around Boutella‘s Kora, a young woman with a mysterious past who seeks out intergalactic warriors to help save a peaceful colony from a tyrannical Regent Balisarius. The movie began as a pitch to Lucasfilm, with Snyder intending for the story to take place in the Star Wars universe. However, the creative’s more mature vision for a galaxy far, far away never made it past the idea stage, and Snyder eventually redeveloped the premise as an original film. Rebel Moon also stars Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Cary Elwes, Corey Stoll, Jena Malone, Cleopatra Coleman, and Ed Skrein as part of its star-studded ensemble cast. It will be given a limited theatrical release before dropping directly on Netflix, similar to the recent distribution of Rian Johnson‘s Glass Onion.
Rebel Moon does not currently have a release date.
David Leitch and Kelly McCormick have produced their fair share of bloodthirsty action films, but none of them have been quite as fun as Violent Night. Starring David Harbour as the most kick-ass version of Santa Claus the world has ever known, the movie centers around a single Christmas Eve with more death and destruction than any one household should produce. Now an alcoholic on the verge of quitting his centuries-long commitment to gifting children toys, Santa finds himself unexpectedly trapped in the home of a wealthy family held captive by ruthless mercenaries. In order to escape and save the innocents inside, the once-jolly old St. Nicholas must tap into a part of himself long forgotten and coat the floor with as many bodies as he can.
Yes, Violent Night is every bit the delightfully brutal slaughter-fest one might hope it would be. There’s a moment in the film when the audience can tell it’s about to kick into high gear, and when it does, it absolutely does not disappoint. Tommy Wirkola‘s twisted direction results in some of the most creative, grotesque deaths put on screen in a long time, and the movie’s clear understanding of its own audience leads to more than a few cheer-worthy moments. Violent Night is the kind of experience best had with a crowd, or at least a few gore-positive friends, as its many well-choreographed action sequences beg for loud, visceral reactions. It’s hard to impart just how satisfying some of the kills in the film are without sounding like a complete psychopath, but the giddiness with which audiences will likely be discussing them on their way out of the theater is a testament to how expertly set up and executed much of the violence is.
That being said, the immense amount of general manslaughter encasing Violent Night is far from its greatest strength. As entertaining as it is to watch Santa Claus blast his way through villainous scum, none of it would work if there wasn’t a giant heart beating at the center of the story. It’s not the kind of film that’s vicious for the sake of being vicious, but rather an earned series of beats that aren’t afraid to indulge in a little body horror. Harbour thrives in this type of role, as the begrudging hero with a genuine soul and plenty of rough edges. His performance, though familiar, is extremely effective for what Violent Night has to offer, injecting the bouts of sadism with an authentic sense of compassion. The captive family, too, keeps the film somewhat grounded, along with providing a surprising amount of comedic relief throughout. Beverly D’Angelo, Edi Patterson, and Cam Gigandet are hilarious as the vile elite, while Alexis Louder, Alex Hassell, and, especially, the young actress who plays their daughter steal the show as good-natured people just trying to get through Christmas.
So much of Violent Night works so well, as long as one is willing to enter its world on the terms it provides. It is precisely what it should be, if not a little better. A fierce, quick-witted, black action comedy that revels in the inhumane without feeling inhuman. Weirdly enough, it often feels more like a warm-hearted Christmas flick than most of the productions that air on Hallmark year in and year out. The film is sure to become an instant classic for many, and hopefully, it won’t be the only one of its kind for too long. Wirkola, Leitch, and McCormick have something special going for them, and if Violent Night is any indication, there doesn’t seem to be a premise they shouldn’t be allowed to tackle.
In the last few months, plenty of news has come out about Sam Raimi’s now-legendary unmade sequel, Spider-Man 4. Thanks to a new book, Sean O’Connell’s With Great Power, fans received a heap of fresh information on what could have been with actor John Malkovich and his intended role, the villainous Vulture. The antagonist, who would end up being portrayed by Michael Keaton in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, was set to engage the film’s titular hero in multiple aerial set pieces, which likely would have made for some spectacular moments on the big screen. Unfortunately, all that’s ever been made public from those scenes are the original pieces of concept art, which at least gave Spider-Man diehards a decent idea of what Malkvoich’s Vulture would have looked like.
Now, in a surprising reveal, comic creator Ken Penders has taken to his social media to share some previously withheld images of the first live-action Vulture wings in all their practicality. In his tweets, Penders explains that a friend of his had been working on the Vulture suit before production on Spider-Man 4 was shut down, and Penders was lucky enough to check it out:
Before Tobey & Sam were bid adieu by Sony, work actually had begun on SPIDER-MAN 4, and I visited friends who were working on the Vulture's costume intended for actor John Malkovich. Once production shut down, all materials were turned in. I've sat on this for almost 15 years. pic.twitter.com/iY3VmzUrHI
My bad. It seems I DID have a pic where the John Malkovich body mold can clearly be seen as well as a pic showing the controls to manipulate the wings.The things one finds lying around on hard drives I haven't looked at for awhile & did so while searching for something else. pic.twitter.com/woInZs2KRN
The design seen in the images matches the recent revelation that Malkovich’s Vulture would have weaponized his mechanical wings and used the feathers as blades. They also give fans a better idea as to how the movie’s version of Adrian Toomes would have worn the suit and used it in battle against Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker. This may be the best look ever given at the real wings, and could end up being the best look anyone ever gets.
Strange World, Disney’s next major animated film, is almost in theaters, and it promises to be another joyous, family friendly ride from the House of Mouse. However, according to directors Qui Nguyen and Don Hall, there was almost a version of the movie that was much darker. Speaking exclusively with Murphy’s Multiverse, the veteran creatives were asked if there’d been any unused ideas they wished could have stayed in the movie, or that they hoped people might one day see. Nguyen answered the question first, revealing an early take on the story that involved a lot more violence:
We had so many. That’s the joy of making one of these films. We get to play with a lot of different ideas, especially in the story stage. We had a series of deaths that were – like we were murdering different characters throughout. There was a version of the movie where, like, the whole crew is dead and you have a feral Callisto at the end who’s like “I’m enraged! I will destroy this place no matter what I do!”
Qui Nguyen
Strange World revolves around the Clade family, as they explore an unknown world in search of something that might save their homeland. The farmer Searcher Clade (Jake Gyllenhaal), his adventurous son Ethan Clade (Jaboukie Young-White), his proactive wife Meridian Clade (Gabrielle Union), and his larger-than-life father, Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid). They are joined on their journey by Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu), the President of Avalonia and leader of an exploration group assigned to help the Clades on their mission. As Nguyen described, Callisto was almost a villainous presence in the film, and apparently, Jaeger was originally a bit scarier as well:
We had a much more barbarian type of Jaeger who like killed a giant caterpillar monster with his bare hands, which was really cool. So, there’s a lot of iterations of this film that were really fun to do…like, what if Jaeger was a lot more barbaric or Callisto was a lot more angry or something like that.
Qui Nguyen
Not all of the abandoned concepts were so gloomy, however, as Hall chimed in to discuss his favorite deleted scenes. The former Big Hero 6 director explained that one of the creatures in the film, lovingly referred to as a “Poop Pickle”, was intended to play a much bigger role. Unfortunately, time didn’t allow this to happen:
Yeah, and the creatures that show up, sort of, a little way through the movie in the acid lake. Those kind of green, blobby things we call “Poop Pickles”. We had storyboarded scenes where those creatures were explored more extensively and they were all very funny and kind of wonderful. We just didn’t have time to support that much. We needed them to do what they do in the movie, which is help them get out of a jam. But who knows? Maybe in the future we’ll get to explore some more about the world of the Poop Pickles.
James Gunn made a triumphant return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe this week with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Designed as an ode to classic Christmas shorts, Gunn crafted a sweet, heartfelt, and authentic new entry in the Guardians mythos with all the proper trappings to ring in the season. Among these delightful tropes, as unexpected as it may have been, was a series of flashbacks done with a familiar animation style. Rotoscoping, a type of animation made popular by notable filmmaker Ralph Bakshi, is a process in which scenes are filmed in live-action and then traced onto animation cells. The result is a cartoon with a uniquely real-world feel.
In a recent tweet, posted as a response to a fan on Twitter, director Gunn confirmed that the tribute to Bakshi was entirely intentional:
From the beginning I intended to do the animation Ralph Bakshi style
Bakshi is known for a variety of films, but his most popular might be 1978’s lesser-known TheLord of the Rings adaptation. He also directed 1977’s cult classic Wizards, 1981’s adult film American Pop, and has worked on several cartoons, including the classic 1960s Spider-Man series. Bakshi’s work is well-known in the animation community, and it’s great to see Gunn introduce the style to a broader audience. The short segments of the Holiday Special ultimately allowed for several key moments in the series’ lore to be revealed. And the look of the rotoscope made them appear more memorable than if a traditional type of animation had been used.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney+, and Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5th, 2023.
Source: Twitter
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
