We’ve been closely following the production of Secret Invasion, especially after their shoot in London led to a bunch of set photos finding their way online. We still know very little about the production, which is great considering there will be quite a few surprises throughout but we have learned that now as the production wrapped production, it seems they have one more location planned.
the Midgard Times has shared that the Disney+ series has one last one-day shoot planned in Toronto, Canada. While it’s a very brief shot, it seems that preparations have already started and whatever it may end up being is teased as something massive. While no information is shared beyond the additional production day, the set tease may hint at an indoor shot to hide some elements for Secret Invasion. It could also be for the potential post-credit sequence.
The production is likely going to not be released until 2023, especially with its ties to The Marvels. We don’t know if we might expect Carol Danvers to potentially have a role in taking down the Skrulls. We might have to wait quite a bit longer until we get any additional information on the series, but perhaps we’ll get a tease during D23 which finally returns this year. Here’s hoping we find out what the future has in store for Marvel Studios by then.
It’s never easy tackling sensitive topics like autism in media. While some have explored the honest side of how it affects people and families, like Amazon’s As We See It, others tend to veer off into very stereotypical territory. Sadly, Planet 9 Productions’ latest film Tyson’s Run falls into the latter category. A story about a 15-year old boy with autism, who finds the passion to run a marathon while also finding a way to mend his family. While there’s a heartwarming story of a broken family bonding once again at its core, the film is distractingly unfocused in a world without consequence that leads to an unsatisfying payoff.
There will be spoilers in this review. So, if you want to watch the film spoiler-free, only continue at your own risk.
It’s odd to say, but there are so many moments in this film where I couldn’t pinpoint where it fits into the overarching narrative. The Kim Bass-directed project has a very straightforward story set out from the beginning but has an issue with weaving every story beat cohesively. It’s trying to sell a lot of moments as a sporadic character action, but it happens for the sake of happening. There’s no real natural lead into Major Dodson‘s Tyson wanting to run a marathon, which is the grand finale of the story.
He only gets into running once he sees Barkhad Abdi‘s Akilu randomly showing up in the background while he’s helping his dad. We don’t meet this character or get any teases in advance. Tyson then just suddenly runs alongside him, which is played off as part of his autism but there’s never a hint or slow build-up that eases the viewer into seeing his interest in that topic. For all we know, he just really wants to learn algebra. Glances or stares at the marathon, seeing people run in the background to build a rapport for the character would help ease viewers into the idea and make it a stronger moment, but it’s just there.
The biggest issue I have with this film is that there is a complete absence of consequence. Even handling a sensitive topic like autism, the actions characters take would still have some kind of effect on their environment, something a show like As We See It handled very well. Yet, in this film, Tyson starts running away at random points. There’s a massive storm, flood warnings, and after overhearing his parent’s fight, he runs off. Now, that makes for drama and there’s a reason why he does it, but later on, we learn it was just him running to see how far he can do it in the rain. No one’s mad at him for running off–for the second time mind you, especially after almost drowning.
No, I am not kidding, he randomly gets trapped under a branch. Still not sure how that happened. The spot he’s at is getting flooded and if his dad (Rory Cochrane) didn’t find him he’d have drowned. Actually, his father also gets injured in the process. So, if Akilu also didn’t somehow find his way to the same location after Tyson’s mother (Amy Smart) asks for his help after meeting him once, they’d both be dead. We spend so much time on the hunt for this kid that it’s full of unnecessary scenes. We meet a cop, he catches up with the dad with a team so that they go through the woods. Yet, no joke, one of them randomly gets bitten by a snake so that the father is alone again in the woods.
Somehow, Tyson running away only makes the family stronger without anyone getting mad at him. Both parents are hinted at having some massive weights on their shoulders, their marriage is on the brink and now he realizes he should spend some time with his family. What just drags an actual heartfelt moment down, is that Tyson shows absolutely no remorse, learns nothing from the event and the film doesn’t try to grow him as a character. There was such a disconnect to the rest; they’ve could’ve just cut chunks of this sequence out and the film would’ve actually benefitted.
There are moments where the acting is very over-the-top which just adds to that disconnect. Smart‘s approach to being mad is mostly awkward yelling, and Cochrane‘s Coach is the epitome of a cliché football coach. You can tell Dodson cared about the role and is trying to make it more than just a cliché but the lack of actual character development just takes away any nuance it could’ve had. We get to a point when he suddenly has a girlfriend, but we’ve only spent like three scenes with her. It’s a sweet moment but we don’t spend time with how that affects him. He just ends up having a girlfriend and nothing is done with it. We even have a bully character who literally laughs at him while pointing like a cartoon character and he never learns his lesson. One guy stands up to him, and he’s never seen again.
Speaking of a bully, on top of all of it, we randomly get a villain moment with Reno Wilson’s mayor near the end of the film. And again, there’s no payoff or consequence to him threatening Tyson’s dad. The only thing that happens is a sudden has big reveal that is swiftly solved minutes later by Tyson. It just makes you wonder why no one in this family thinks to lock their kid’s window, especially if he has a tendency to run away constantly. It highlights the problem that Tyson is a plot device and not a character. It is a disservice to a story exploring the topic of autism and the challenge for families that deal with it daily.
It’s all perfectly encapsulated in the titular run of Tyson’s Run. We have news reporters that are there to explain word-for-word what we know, or even explain running terms in the most obvious exposition I’ve ever witnessed in a film. There’s such a perfect bow on everything that it just adds to the fact that everything comes together as it needs to be. Without any consequences, no one changes by the end of the story outside of the workaholic dad spending time with his family. There’s not even a consequence to him just ditching his job randomly. The film has good intentions, but it really doesn’t know how to bring it all together.
Disney+ made quite the headlines when they announced that shows like Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and more from the Netflix era are making their way to the streaming service. While these projects have an older demographic, the service will include parental control. Mature content isn’t new to the service, as specific markets include it through the Star branding, but it seems that this move has gotten the attention of the Parents Television Council, who have slammed Disney for their decision. Its President Tim Winter had made the following statement:
For more than 98 years, the Walt Disney Company has been synonymous with the words Family Friendly, and I can think of no other corporation in American history that has been built more squarely on the backs – and on the wallets – of parents and families. The company’s eponymous platform Disney Plus logically marketed itself as a family-friendly streaming service, and parents have placed their trust in Disney to deliver just that
Tim Winter
He goes on to make false comparisons, such as Disney World “adding live striptease performances in Fantasyland” to make its point. Parental control is also mentioned, but they believe that the mere existence of R-rated content violates the trust of families. It’s curious considering that What If…? actively promoted episodes featuring zombies that are also killed throughout the episode.
There is no need for Disney Plus to compete with the explicit content on other streaming platforms. Disney is already at a competitive advantage with a streaming platform that is the safest one out there for families. Its foray into TV-MA-rated fare will forever tarnish its family-friendly crown
While many could argue that the addition of more mature content only benefits their growing market by also offering something for older parts of the family to enjoy the content. Who knows if they might add additional elements into allowing a more family-friendly setup for users of the streaming service, similar to Netflix’s Kids function. We’ll see how or even if Disney reacts to this statement at some point and how they might tackle the concerns.
Doesn’t it feel like they started filming the “Weird” Al Jankovich biopic just a few days ago? It has been some time but it still seems crazy how fast the Daniel Radcliffe-led project with the title Weird: The Al YankovicStory managed to wrap production. We first got some set photos almost two or three weeks ago featuring Radcliffe as the titular star. Eric Appel is in the director’s chair to explore the story of a young Jankovich parodying his way up to stardom.
It’s astonishing that they wrapped production in 18 days, and it’s great to see Yankovich‘s excitement for the project. We still don’t know just how much of his story this project will cover or how they might approach it. So far, we only saw Radcliffe rocking his original look when the comedian started making a name for himself, especially with his iconic afro and mustache.
Yankovich has been heavily involved with the project and it wouldn’t be too surprising if he will also appear in the film as himself, or break the fourth wall now and then. If they already wrapped production this fast, it seems likely that the film could find itself on Roku before the year ends.
There’s something rather fun about looking back at a film and how it may have changed throughout production. Spider-Man: No Way Home is no exception, as concept art finding its way online offering a glimpse at how they brought the designs from previous Spider-Man films to a new era. Yet, it seems that one of the members may have looked quite a bit different.
The Amazing Spider-Man‘s Lizard makes his return after RhysIfans played the character back in 2012. He had the same design in the threequel, but it seems that they’ve considered giving him a more comic-accurate design at some point. Ian Joyner shared some artwork offering a glimpse at a very different Lizard wearing his purple pants, lab coat, and a stronger reptilian face.
The design looks great but probably wouldn’t have fit with the character talking throughout the film. Plus, you do lose that charm of his original design as they changed quite a bit with Elektro. So, it would be a shame if both Andrew Garfield‘s villains got a complete redesign while Tobey Maguire‘s remained mostly the same. Hopefully, we do get to see a horror-themed film with Spidey as he takes down Lizard. He is about to enter college and meet a new Dr. Curt Conners and knowing what happens to him, it seems like Parker would be the one to accidentally push him to still end up the way he would throughout the multiverse.
We’ve long waited for any information or update on the next spinoff for The Boys. While the animated Diabolical anthology series has just recently found its way to Amazon Prime, there’s been surprisingly little on the college-focused series that would adapt the comics’ parody of the X-Men. Cast members Aimee Carrero and Shane Paul McGhie have left the project.
Carrero has now joined another dark comedy titled The Consultant, where she’ll star opposite Christoph Waltz and soon will be seen in the upcoming Paramount+ series on the making of The Godfather. It’s unclear what project McGhie may have signed on after leaving the project or if he has at all, but one of the reasons mentioned on their departure is the long-production process.
That is not all, as while the series had all its characters cast, there were seemingly major changes happening behind the scenes that may have led to McGhie leaving the project. For now, both roles will be recast moving forward and we’ll see when they might finally pick up production and find replacements for the roles.
It’s been curious how long the project has dragged out up to this point, but it’s not uncommon. With most of the focus being on the third season of The Boys, the creative team might still be trying to find its place in the overall timeline, especially with whatever the consequences might be from the upcoming third season.
After a long wait, we finally got the first trailer for the next Star Wars Disney+ series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. For quite some time, the project was described as a limited series but it seems that something may have changed at some point. Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy has hinted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that there have been talks for a potential Season 2 to further explore the character’s time before the events of A New Hope.
It’s certainly something we talk about… We’d have to really answer the question why?
Kathleen Kennedy
There’s still some time until the series releases on Disney+, but if there are already talks now we’ll see if the story keeps the door open once it wraps up its episode count. The introduction of the Inquisitors into live-action does open up a lot of different storylines, and we might get some connective tissue between Obi-Wan Kenobi and his eventual return in Rebels to face off against Darth Maul for one last time. As we still have to wait until the end of May, we’ll have to wait for an official confirmation.
Denis Villeneuve has been busy casting for his upcoming Dune sequel, as shortly after it was revealed that Florence Pugh has entered negotiations to join the project, they have now revealed that Elvis star Austin Butler is also in talks to take on the role of Feyd-Rautha. The film is eyeing a release on October 20th next year, and he doesn’t have much time until he needs to start production to continue the adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s iconic novel.
The role Butler is tackling is the younger nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, who is just as “cruel, treacherous, and cunning” as what you’d expect from a member of the royal Harkonnen bloodline. The actor made his career in Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood before nabbing the starring role in the Elvis Presley biopic.
Quite a few actors have vocally shown their interest in joining the Dune franchise, which is a given with how unique it is when it comes to what a modern-day blockbuster film is like. Yet, there has been a growing concern regarding the casting decisions for the Dune franchise, as most of the cast doesn’t reflect the cultural inspiration for most of the book’s characters and cultures. We’ll see what the future has in store as we might expect a lot more casting in the near future.
It’s still crazy to think that after its initial announcement back in 2017, we’re finally seeing development on the live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda‘s One Piece series. Co-showrunners Steve Maeda and Matt Owens alongside their team have taken the daunting task of bringing the popular series to Netflix, but with a lot of dedication and heart, the team has been proving they are all-in for this adventure across the East Blue and Grand Line. Naturally, that kind of excitement draws in fans from the series that have their expectations going in.
In a great move, one of the first accounts to keep everyone updated on what’s happening with the live-action adaptation, @OP_Netflix_Fan, kickstarted a survey to let fans share their excitement, hopes, and expectations for the series. As one of the leading voices with starting this survey, a very active Discord channel, and keeping everyone up-to-date on the project, it was a great initiative to let fans share their thoughts on the One Piece adaptation. 10,000 fans have taken their time to join the fun and offer the team a glimpse at what they hope to see. I had quite some fun throwing my own two cents into the survey. So, let’s take a look at some of the highlights. If you want to check out the full survey, you can read it by clicking here.
One Piece Live Action Survey Results!
Over the past week and half, we have accumulated an ASTOUNDING amount of results, as the survey was taken by more than 10,000 people. Super excited to see your reactions to it. Share them using #OPLAsurvey.
— ONE PIECE NETFLIX FAN (@OP_Netflix_Fan) March 10, 2022
What is quite interesting to see is that fans are split on how they’d want the series to be made available. Netflix is famous for its binge model, and it’s expected that all episodes will drop at the same time. Yet, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and more are embracing the weekly model to keep the discussions going on the next episode. When asked, 43% would prefer for all episodes to drop while 40% hope to see a weekly release. 17%, on the other hand, would like multiple episodes to drop over multiple weeks. The binge model is still slightly in the lead, but it’s interesting to see such a small margin between both release models.
As the first season is going to adapt the East Blue Saga, there are quite a few arcs that will get adapted as Luffy sets sail to gather his crew to tackle the Grand Line. Among them is the Arlong Park arc, which has been one of the most popular to this day. For some, it’s also the story that sold people on sticking to One Piece for the long ride. So, it being the arc that people are most excited about is also true with the live-action adaptation, as 80% of participants are excited about this arc. It is closely followed by Baratie (45%), Loguetown (37%), and Romance Dawn (27%.
There was an additional question on where fans hope to see the series end, as there are quite a few options with the East Blue. 10% would be open to the series ending with the famous “I’m dead” scene during Loguetown, as Buggy is about to take Luffy’s head. 30% would also like to see the barrel scene as the end, but the clear winner is Reverse mountain at 50%. I personally would love to see the first season end with the Straw Hats making it through Reverse Mountain only for the final moments to be them about to crash into Laboon. It would make for that perfect tease that the Grand Line is quite a bit more dangerous than anything they faced before.
It wouldn’t be One Piece without its fun cast of characters, and fans have been quite vocal on who they’re excited to see in live-action. Arlong takes the top spot with 68%, followed by Smoker at 59%, and Buggy’s 54%. Poor Morgan takes the last spot with 3%. When it comes to some supporting characters or cameos, 75% want to see Oda‘s tradition of hiding Pandaman in the background continue in its live-action series. I hope they do, and not just visual references but a guy in a full costume as Pandaman.
When it comes to the future of the series, 53% definitely hope to get some foreshadowing in the first season. Popular mentions are the appearance of characters like Doflamingo, Moria, and more during Gol D. Roger’s execution, or wanted posters from future characters being included in the background. It would add that extra layer of continuity as the series continues to expand with future seasons. 70% also want to see Haki get teased early on, which becomes quite important once they enter the New World on the Grand Line. 43% also hope to see some references to Sanji’s past with his family. A personal highlight is that 70% want our first tease of Bink’s Sake in the first season, which I hope to see become a motif throughout some of the series’ themes.
When it comes to adaptation, there is going to change with the translation to live-action. While 31% would be alright with some storylines getting merged at some point, 50% would prefer to see the arc’s not getting combined. Fans want to see iconic elements like the character’s unique laughs or the communication devices known as Den Den Mushi remaining even in this adaptation. 75% generally would only be okay with elements getting cut if it is necessary, but 63% would be open to seeing new scenes featuring the Straw Hats getting added to the material. If it comes to characters, most don’t want to see anyone getting cut but if anyone has to go it seems like it’s either the Nyaban Brothers or Pearl.
There’s a lot more to discuss, but I will end it with one of the biggest question marks regarding how the project will tackle the iconic cover stories. These side stories are disconnected mini-arcs for supporting characters, such as the aftermath of Luffy kicking Buggy to a different island. 65% hope to see them get adapted with 52% on board for Buggy’s little side story. Who wouldn’t want to watchJeff Ward only consisting of his head, feet, and hands running away from a giant bird?
There are a lot more fun questions, such as how fans feel about the addition of original characters, seeing the colorful hair make its way to live-action, the possibility of Jacob Romero Gibson getting Usopp’s iconic long nose, and a lot more. While the series has already entered production, it definitely is a restatement to the franchise’s fan reception and many are excited to see just how the creative team tackles the project. If you want to check out the other questions, such as if Luffy should fight using Arlong’s teeth, you can check them out here.
We’ve all wondered how exactly the upcoming Moon Knight adaptation will tackle the character’s identity disorder. The initial trailers offered a confirmation that they are all-in with the concept, and we might even get some horror elements sprinkled throughout. Luckily, future Steven Grant/Marc Spector/Moon Knight Oscar Isaac teased how the series teased its “experiential” for viewers and highlights its roots in psychological horror.
[Moon Knight] is quite true to the psychological horror of not knowing what’s happening and the slow revelations of the truth.Oscar Isaac
The brief sequence when Khonshu chased down Steven Grant down a hallway, and the tease of some otherworldly threats, the fact you might never know what is real and what isn’t sounds like an exciting way to tackle this iconic character. Plus, given the character’s long connection with his identity disorder, it makes him one of the most unique superheroes to get his own series. Here’s hoping we also have a bright future with the Fist of Khonshu moving forward.
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