Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘Reservation Dogs’ Devery Jacobs May Have Joined Disney+ Series ‘Echo’

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘Reservation Dogs’ Devery Jacobs May Have Joined Disney+ Series ‘Echo’

    We just ran the news that Alaqua Cox has shared that Echo’s production is seemingly going to start tomorrow. She announced it via an Instagram story featuring flowers. What stands out though is that she got the flowers from fellow actress Devery Jacobs, who many might remember for her role in FX’s Reservation Dogs. Well, if we take a closer look at the letter that she sent, it would hint that the actress may also have joined Echo in an unknown role. So, let’s connect the dots here.

    In her letter, she states that “I wish I could be there to kick it off.” That alone wouldn’t really give it away, as she simply could be sharing that she wished she could join her on the series to support her, but also hints that she would join just not that early in production. But, what does definitely hint at her potentially having a role in the series is the addition of “see you soon” which highlights that she may join production at a later date.

    Jacobs would also match a casting of a character known as Julie. Echo was looking to cast a Native American actress between the age of 27 to 33 in the role, who is the responsible type with a strong will of her own. A casting that would match the actress perfectly, as it’s not too dissimilar to her character Elora Danan Postoak from Reservation Dogs.

    What also helps is that director Sydney Freeland is involved with the series, something she confirmed back in March. It’s not uncommon that directors would bring along talent that they are interested in working with again. There’s no official confirmation so far, but Devery Jacobs‘ letter would certainly hint at her potentially having some kind of role in the series. Perhaps we’ll get an official casting announcement soon, as production starts tomorrow or before she joins the project at a later date.

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘Echo’ Seemingly Starting Production Tomorrow

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Echo’ Seemingly Starting Production Tomorrow

    There have been quite a few hints that Echo is going to start production soon. We learned some time ago that they would start production under the working title “Grasshopper” and their location scouts were quite busy back in March. Earlier this month, it was seemingly confirmed that Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio would join the project. Last year, it was hinted that the series would start production in January but it looks like they are already preparing to start production tomorrow.

    Echo actress Alaqua Cox took to her Instagram account to share a story. In it, she reveals that she received some flowers as a celebration ahead of their production start. It’s uncertain if we’ll get any photos from the set as a way to celebrate the start, but while she doesn’t mention what project exactly, it’s safe to assume that it’s Marvel Studios’ next Disney+ series.

    It’s great to see the project pick up steam finally, and it seems we can expect it to release in 2023 if it starts production now. To this day, it’s still really impressive to think that Hawkeye, which introduced viewers to the character and her connection to Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Kingpin, was her first role ever. Now, she’s left such an impressive performance that she’s getting her own spinoff moving forward. So, we’ll see what direction they’ll take, especially with the freedom they have with a character like Echo.

    Source: Instagram

  • Duffer Brothers on Potential ‘Stranger Things’ Spinoffs After Season 5

    Duffer Brothers on Potential ‘Stranger Things’ Spinoffs After Season 5

    Stranger Things is set to end with its upcoming fifth season. It’s been quite the ride and while we still have some time before the final episodes arrive, we still know an end is on the horizon. They split up the fourth season into two parts but knowing that the series will soon end feels like the end of an era. For the actors that joined the project, it’ll be the end of a big part of their childhood of bringing these lovable characters to life. So, it’s not been an easy task for Duffer Brothers to decide when to let go.

    In an interview with SFX, they talk about how ending it with Season 5 still feels “a little early” but they still felt like it was “the right move.” Yet, it seems that they may already be thinking about the future, as they do hint that they have some kind of plan but nothing concrete enough that Netflix isn’t even aware of where the journey will go moving forward.

    We haven’t told anyone our plans! Not even Netflix! We have some ideas. In terms of if we were to do any sort of a spin-off, or any continuation of Stranger Things, for us the bar was always, ‘Is the idea exciting enough that we feel the pull of wanting to do it again?’ I want to feel the pull of, ‘God, I really want to do this. I feel really, really excited about this.’ So that’s why we’re being careful about what that is and whether we move forward with it or not.

    Matt Duffer

    As we still have some time until the fifth season releases, we might see their visions become clearer as we near its release. So, we’ll see what they may have planned for us moving forward and if the finale may even give us a clearer look at where Stranger Things will move after its wrapped up the series that started in 2016.

    Source: SFX

  • Oscar Isaac’s Younger Brother Helped to Bring Marc Spector and Steven Grant to Life in ‘Moon Knight’

    Oscar Isaac’s Younger Brother Helped to Bring Marc Spector and Steven Grant to Life in ‘Moon Knight’

    As the latest episode of Moon Knight saw two versions of Oscar Isaac interact with each other, they naturally needed a double to take on the role that he wasn’t playing at the time. To ensure they find someone that would match the actor, the double role ended up going to his younger brother, Michael Benjamin Hernandez. The hilarious part is that he had the code name Mork Sphincter during production. In an interview with Marvel, he shared his experience working opposite his brother.

    If Oscar was playing Marc at the time, I would play Steven opposite of him. Then we would switch around, and he would play the Steven role and I would do the Marc role. It would involve me being on set with him doing the scenes, or an earpiece, where I would give him the lines. So depending on how they were shooting it, I would either be actually there in the scene or off camera.

    Michael Benjamin Hernandez

    He also highlighted that they’d coordinate their scenes throughout the production, where Isaac was an active coach for him and ensure they are approaching their scenes “on the same page.” Yet, they were also open to improvising throughout, but always made sure they were prepared before a scene.

    Before a scene, I’d be in [Oscar’s] trailer and we’d talk about what’s happening here and what’s the intention, what’s going on. That would help me perform in a way that makes sense to him, and we were both on the same page. For me, it was all about making it as real and authentic as possible for Oscar to play off against, as opposed to him recording lines and just going off the line.

    Michael Benjamin Hernandez

    It wasn’t an easy job, as he also had make-up and prosthetics added to make his transformation into Steven and Marc easier, which was a strange experience for Hernandez. Yet, he highlights it helped him immerse into the experience of being Isaac as well.

    It was just this weird, mutated abomination of Marc with a fake prosthetic nose. I had never done the whole casting thing where they pour the green goo over your face…and I was totally game for all of that. I was totally game for like, yeah, you want to give me a wig or fake nose? We even thought of fake chin parts and cheeks. But then we established that if we were going to film from behind my shoulder, the nose was the prominent piece to get. And so that made it feel like it was actually Oscar there, because he has a beautiful schnoz, and we wanted to recreate that

    Michael Benjamin Hernandez

    It certainly sounds like he had quite the experience on the show, and if we see more of Moon Knight in the future, he’ll probably have more chances to bring the character back to life again. Long live Mork Sphincter!

    Source: Marvel

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Episode 1 Set-Up [SPOILERS] Arrival in Episode 4

    ‘Moon Knight’s Episode 1 Set-Up [SPOILERS] Arrival in Episode 4

    This article will contain spoilers on the latest episode of Moon Knight. Only continue at your own risk if you haven’t seen the episode yet.

    Moon Knight surprised viewers with its fourth episode, as we got the sudden reveal of Marc Spector in a mental asylum. To top it off, every character we met along the way was also there and his arch-nemesis Harrow turned into his psychiatrist. It left us with many questions, especially when Marc met a physical version of Steven in this world. So, it’s been quite the experience for him that gets even crazier when they meet a humanoid hippo, who lovers of Egyptian mythology will recognize as Taweret.

    What Is That SPOILER At the End of Moon Knight Episode 4?

    It turns out that the team already set the seeds for the Goddess’ arrival in this episode in the first episode. Actress Lucy Thackeray, who many will remember as Steven’s snarky co-worker at the museum, on how the team behind the Disney+ series set up her arrival with a small mention in the initial episode when they were stocking up. She goes on to highlight:

    I’ve heard about the hippo, but I have no idea. Somebody else asked about the hippo, and I was like, ‘I’m sorry?’ One of our little scenes in the stockroom, actually, the very beginning of the scene, I say something like, ‘Bring the hippos over here,’ and [Steven] says, ‘Oh no, they’re actually called Taweret.’ You’ve gotta really be listening. But other than that, I literally have no idea what to expect. I’ve heard little things from other cast members [about the last episode], and it all sounds crazy.

    Lucy Thackeray

    It certainly sounds like the cast has gotten different perspectives on the major twist, but all are missing the greater picture. Marvel Studios has always been famous for its habit of keeping secrets. So, once the final episode drops, it’ll definitely be a surprise for everyone involved what exactly was going on in this six-episode Disney+ series.

    Source: The Direct

  • Natalie Portman Shares a New Mighty Thor Variant of ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Poster

    Natalie Portman Shares a New Mighty Thor Variant of ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Poster

    The first trailer gave us a tease of what Thor: Love and Thunder has in store for us with a great poster highlighting the 80s inspiration of the film. Yet, the ending gave us our first look at Natalie Portman‘s return to the franchise as Mighty Thor. Surprisingly, the first poster mainly focused on Chris Hemsworth and it seems that Portman wanted to quickly correct that, as she shared a variant of the poster with her version of the character taking the central stage.

    The best part is that it also switches up the tagline to “The One is Not the Only One” as a callout to the tagline of the original poster being “The One and Only.” It’s a fun way to tease her character, who only briefly appeared in the trailer at the end. We’re likely going to get a better look at her character and tease if Thor knows who’s behind the mask as more trailers arrive over time.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CclMIqWJAP-/

    It’s a great marketing move to wait a bit before releasing this poster, as it builds upon the reveal of her return. Surprisingly, they kept her helmet out of this poster which makes you wonder just how much she’ll wear it throughout the film. Even Thor very rarely wears a helmet, as it mostly hides his face, but perhaps he got grabbed too often by the wings and was annoyed by it holding him back. Here’s hoping that the next trailer won’t take too long to release, especially as it’s already set to premiere in July.

    Source: Instagram

  • Dwayne Johnson to Produce ‘It Takes Two’ Adaptation for Amazon

    Dwayne Johnson to Produce ‘It Takes Two’ Adaptation for Amazon

    Here’s a surprising development but it looks like Dwayne Johnson is taking on a producing role for the upcoming adaptation of It Takes Two. The movie was looking for a home, which it has now found on Amazon Prime. dj2 Entertainment, the team behind the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, is still staying on to produce but is joined by Johnson‘s Seven Bucks Productions and Amazon Studios. Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia also join the project as producers.

    That’s not all, as Johnson is also rumored to potentially star in the film but it wasn’t officially confirmed. The story follows parents May and Cody as a wish by their daughter transforms them into dolls that set out on an adventure to get their original bodies back and potentially save their marriage, as they were going through a divorce at the time.

    It Takes Two will be written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who also worked on both Sonic the Hedgehog films. They alongside dj2 have a first-look deal with Amazon which is included with this project. Hazelight Studios’ Josef Fares and Oskar Wolontis are also on board as executive producers, as they were the creators of the original game. Kimberly Bialek is also overseeing the production for Seven Bucks Productions.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Directors on Episode 4’s Twist Ending and Comic Inspiration

    ‘Moon Knight’ Directors on Episode 4’s Twist Ending and Comic Inspiration

    Episode 4 of Moon Knight has been amped up for quite some time and as it finally found its way online, the Internet is currently wrapping its head around what exactly just happened. Of course, it didn’t take long for questions to arise and luckily Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, the directing duo behind that very episode, talked about how they approached the twist ending and how Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood‘s run with the character influenced their direction.

    There will be spoilers ahead, so only continue at your own risk if you haven’t seen the episode yet.

    As the episode was slowly coming to an end, we suddenly see Marc Spector get shot by Arthur Harrow. As he is falling down what seems like a bottomless water spot inside the grave of Alexander the Great. Yet, it suddenly turns into an old-fashioned, Indiana Jones-inspired TV show before revealing that Marc was in a facility all along. We see many familiar faces and objects that hint that maybe not everything we saw was real. this sequence is strongly inspired by a famous run from Lemire and Smallwood, which the directors highlight in their interview with EW.

    The end of episode 4 is actually a gift of the script. It came from wanting to do the least expected thing and completely disorient the audience, while also being completely true to the character that we’ve built over four episodes. Also the comic book character: There’s a run of ‘Moon Knight’ written by Jeff Lemire, and [Greg] Smallwood did the art, and it has a lot of similar feelings and visuals to what happens at the end of episode 4. So we’re really glad to be able to honor the original comics, the ones that we were the most drawn to when we were trying to crack Moon Knight. That’s where the inspiration came from, especially visually and tonally

    Aaron Moorhead

    Benson highlights that they also took inspiration from some of the iconic panels from that run as they explore his escape from this mental health institute.

    Also, connecting it back to the Lemire run, there are so many iconic single panels within that run. But there’s one sequence in particular where our hero has been trying to escape from a mental health facility. He finally gets out. He jumps out, but it turns out he was on an airplane, and he’s free-falling. Obviously that doesn’t happen in this show, but we really feel like what we did captures the spirit of that distilled image into something that is not literally that but has the same feeling.

    Justin Benson

    In the same interview, they highlight that the next two episodes will be even more promising and we’ll get a lot more moving forward. It’s an exciting twist and takes the series into a really interesting direction that may not mesh well with many at first that got used to the adventure vibe it was building up so far. For now, we’ll have to wait just two more weeks to see the series fully come together.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Fast and Furious 10’ Gets New Title and Logo as Production Starts

    ‘Fast and Furious 10’ Gets New Title and Logo as Production Starts

    It looks like Vin Diesel has started production on the tenth entry of the Fast and Furious franchise. Not only that, but to celebrate the occasion, the actor took to his personal Instagram account to share that it’ll be titled Fast X and even included a clever logo for the upcoming film. Sadly, there are no further details included, but it’s great to get a tease of what’s to come as they start production.



    There are some great details about the logo. It is the second title to include the name Fast” with the number of its entry, as the last time they did this was Fast Five in 2011. The seventh entry just focused on the Furious part before the eighth entry turned it into a pun and we got F9 in 2021. So, it is surprising they are reusing an idea but the X makes sense for the tenth entry. My favorite part, however, is that the X is a car’s headlight which makes for a great reveal.

    We’ll see what the future has in store, as they are rumored to film the tenth and eleventh entries back to back. Diesel has tended to announce quite a few aspects of his franchise through his Instagram title, such as sharing that Brie Larson joined the production not too long ago. So, we’ll see if he might share some set photos as they end the Fast Saga with the upcoming releases.

    Source: Instagram

  • Bruce Campbell Talks Marvel Studios Influence on ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Reshoots

    Bruce Campbell Talks Marvel Studios Influence on ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Reshoots


    We’ve heard a lot about the work that’s been done on the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. Multiverse of Madness will be filmed to the brim, as is expected with a project that explores the multiverse. We’ve heard that Spider-man: No Way Home was forced to change directions due to the pandemic and Marvel Studios had to reshuffle their schedules, but it looks like something similar happened to the upcoming Doctor Strange film.

    In an interview with Game Informer, Bruce Campbell was asked a few questions which included the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There were many rumors about various reshoots being underway as they were building up to its release in a few weeks. While it’s not uncommon, he did offer some insight into what led to some of the changes, such as some story aspects needing to be adapted by Sam Raimi.

    The Marvel guys, they make eight of these movies at the same time, so they’re always updating storylines. So, my buddy Sam [Raimi] has had to add scenes that [Marvel] told him he had to shoot, and he’s removed scenes that no longer apply. So until May rolls around I don’t think Benedict Cumberbatch even knows if he’s in this movie or not.

    Bruce Campbell

    It’s not uncommon that executives have some influence on how productions follow, but Marvel Studios has the challenge of also keeping somewhat of continuity between their overarching storylines and connections from one project to another.

    The pandemic, as mentioned previously, left them with quite the blow as more things ended up getting shuffled around and it seems Doctor Strange was affected as well. Of course, his reference to Benedict Cumberbatch not knowing if he’s in the film is more of a joke on how much work goes into these films and their many moving parts.

    Source: YouTube via The Direct