It feels like forever since we heard about Netflix’s plans on adapting One Piece into live-action. The project was delayed due to the pandemic, but Illuminerdi shared some first details on the various members of the Straw Hat Pirates. While it offers our first details on the personalities of the characters, the casting offers a clearer picture of what may potentially get adapted in the show’s first season.
The list includes Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji. They were the first members to join the crew before they head out into the Grand Line. It starts with Luffy setting out years after he ate the Rubber Rubber-Fruit and his body turned into literal rubber. The entire saga consisted of his meeting with the various members and the emotional Arlong Park Arc. It ended with a brief stint in Loguetown before they entered the most unpredictable seas of their world. It was the sage with the most arcs in the franchise, but later stories were considerably longer in comparison.
So, does their inclusion mean the first season will end in Loguetown? It would make the most sense to end the arc just as they set out into the sea. Still, they might also end with the Baratie Arc, where they recruit Sanji. It might be worth giving more time to the iconic Arlong Park arc, which has some of the strongest emotional moments. Plus, the introduction of the Fishmen might be costly and they could always shorten the season length if necessary. Still, it’ll be exciting to finally set out into the East Blue if the series enters production sometime in the near future.
There’s been no information on the live-action adaptation of Netflix’s One Piece series. Its showrunner Steve Maeda did share an Instagram post that the pandemic postponed their show back in March. That was the last official update we got our hands on since. Luckily, it seems that the folks over at Illuminerdi might have gotten their hands on some curious details on the upcoming project alongside what could be the first potential casting for the show, as Netflix is eyeing Ludi Lin in the role of Zorro.
Illuminerdi got their hands on the character descriptions for the various member of the Straw Hat Pirates. The before-mentioned casting would be the biggest inclusion. His background as a martial artist would make him a good choice due to Zoro’s affinity for swordplay. He’s a key member of the team as the crew’s first mate. After Luffy sets out to the sea, he comes across the pirate hunter and they build an inseparable bond throughout their travels on the Grand Line.
His character description hints at some familiar characteristics. They highlight his time as a mercenary, as he does any work to get around. They also highlight his love for his weapons and a good drink. Sadly, no mention of his terrible sense of direction which would’ve been a fun addition given his perchance of getting lost at the worst possible moments.
It looks like casting is underway for the upcoming Disney+ spin-off Ahsoka. It’ll continue the story set up in The Mandalorian, where Rosario Dawson‘s take on the iconic Star Wars character sets out to find out what happened to Ezra after the events of Rebels. Cinelinx’s Jordan Maison and SlashFilm’s Adam Frazier shared some insight into the potential actors up for the role, as they shared information that includes Lana Condor, Tati Gabrielle, and Havana Rose Lui.
Sabine Wren has quite a few ties to the plot focused around the return to Mandalore. She is a female Mandalorian warrior, who acted as a revolutionary leader in the early times of the rebellion. She even was another Mandalorian to wield the Darksaber. Her goals align with those of Bo-Katan and her introduction into live-action might be the first inklings towards the overarching plot of the various stories.
The Mandalorian’s third season got delayed by some time, as we’re first to expand the franchise through the upcoming The Book of Boba Fett series. With Ahsoka rumors making the rounds, it might possibly enter production after Djin Darin’s story continues in the third season. So, they might even introduce Sabine in the mainline series before she takes a central role in the spin-off.
Marvel Studios kicked off the What If…? animated series with a strong episode exploring a timeline where Peggy Carter received the Super Soldier serum. The first season consists of nine episodes that’ll take a unique perspective on the multiverse. Luckily, there’s also a second season heading our way, but Head Writer A.C. Bradley offered some insight into episodes that were left behidn ont he cutting room floor.
What If….Steve Rogers Joined Hydra
The first idea is one we recently saw realized in the Secret Empire storyline. We are introduced to a version of Captain America that ends up as a minion of Hydra. It seems the idea was on the table, as they wanted to explore a version that became a minion of the evil organization and evne hold the title of Captain Hydra.
My idea was, if Steve fell off the train, we would jump forward in time,” Bradley says. The Steve Rogers version of Winter Soldier would not slyly operate in the shadows, but instead aggressively and openly pursue the cause of his new evil overlords.
The story would’ve had a big twist with former enemy, the Red Skull, joining forces with Peggy, Howard, and Bucky to take down the man that ended up replacing him at the top of Hydra’s food chain. She reveals this was the pitch that got her the job in the first place.
What If … Tony Stark Was Indiana Jones
It looks like Bradley also was curious about the estranged relationship between Tony and his father. At one piont, she considered creating a story inspired by The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. She wanted to explore how their relationship would’ve been shaped throughout the years and show the sparks flying between them.
At the end of the day, Tony Stark is the guy who was never supposed to be the hero, becoming the hero,” she says. The real promise of this alternate storyline might have been showing us who Tony was before he put on the cynicism that became his very first, unseen armor.
What If…Loki Was Worthy
Bradley highlighted that they wanted to avoid giving characters a focus who already are getting their own spin-off series, but there was a fun Loki pitch in the works. At the time of the initial pitch, this rule wasn’t known and showcased Loki wielding Mjolnir. It’s similar to the deleted scene from Thor: The Dark World where Loki imagined himself wieldign the hammer. They’re only concern was that it might change teh character too much from what made him standout.
What If… Spider-Man Turned Into a Spider
We know that Spider-Man will appear as part of the mysterious zombie episode due to his naming as the Zombie Slayer. Yet, it seems they had a much darker story planend for him, as they were inspired by Franz Kafka’s novellaThe Metamorphosis. Yet, it seems a David Cronenberg-esque body horror was too much for Marvel to sign off on. Yet, they said okay to zombies.
If would have been hard-R for a show that probably your kids will end up watching. It was a little too dark. So I was like, okay, that’s fine. Can I do zombies? And they said, yes, you can do zombies
What If…Tony and Pepper Travelled Through Space
It looks like love is in the air, as one of the pitches would’ve seen Tony Stark and Pepper Potts spending their time travelling through space. It seems they wanted to include all kinds of characters with them jokingly including Star Wars characters. Earlier on they also reference taht the original pitch even included Rocketman making an appearance.
I would pitch Star Wars characters. That was me half the time having a joke, and also just really liking Mark Hamill, having worked with him on Trollhunters. Sometimes you would push the crazy ideas just to see if there was any movement.
It seems they truly tested what was possible with Marvel Studios, and the ideas vary quite a bit in fun ways. I think the Cronenberg-inspired story would be a great storyline to explore in the mainline MCU at some point. Captain America turning into a Hydra agent would be a great story to explore, as we got glimpses of a “What If Hydra won” storyline in Agents of SHIELD. Who knows, maybe these ideas get a chance to return with a potential third season.
All eyes are on Samuel L. Jackson right now, as he recently teased the return of Nick Fury’s iconic mustache. The only question was which project is he included, as we know he’ll have a starring role in Disney+’s Secret Invasion. Yet, there have been inklings he’d also join the upcoming The Marvel‘s film, which will see the team-up of Brie Larson‘s Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris‘ Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani‘s Ms. Marvel. Larson recently confirmed that production has started with director Nia DaCosta. As if they timed it perfectly, he released his Instagram post with the iconic beard confirming he is currently filming a project.
It wasn’t until his second Instagram post that he tagged The Marvel‘s film and potentially confirmed his appearance in the film. There’s still little information that leaked from the project, but it seems possible he’s also working on Secret Invasion, as the projects could potentially interconnect due to the strong inclusion of the Skrulls. They had a prominent role in the first Captain Marvel film and the sequel might continue telling that story, as there are also rumblings of Jude Law‘s Yon-Rogg making a return.
The exciting aspect about these two projects filming around the same time is the implications for the story. We still don’t know how true the Secret Invasion series will be to the comics. So, there might be some curious twists that also tie into the film, as they’re still is no word on who their main antagonist might be. Perhaps we’ll witness the Skrull-Kree War that ended up getting continued on Earth much to our hero’s dismay.
It looks like Sony is having quite a bit of trouble with their upcoming cinematic releases. According to Deadline, they are considering pushing Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Hotel Transylvania: Transformania back. There has been no final decision been made, but current developments surrounding the Delta Variant have the production company weighing out their options moving forward. It seems they are considering a delay for the Venom sequel into October 15th, which would align with the recent New Zealand release. The article also states they have even considered a January as a potential new date, which would mean Morbius gets pushed back again.
Of course, the bigger aspect of these potential delays is that it’ll also affect Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is currently eyeing a release in December. If they continue to delay their releases, it may also join 2022. The studio is currently considering putting the fourth entry in their Hotel Transylvania film on a streaming service, which would be difficult for their other projects. Right now, it seems that all eyes are on the theatre-only release of Free Guy to get a feeling if the market will sustain non-digital releases moving forward.
They might be mapping out multiple delay dates just in case the earliest can’t be met. So, the January one seems unlikely for now but it’s not unsurprising that they’re considering it. The only thing that is still up in the air is if they’ll push Morbius back by multiple months as well. So, only the coming months will give us an inkling what the future holds for cinemas.
It looks like the long wait has finally come to an end, as Netflix is moving forward with their live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series. Not only that, but they also found their core cast and creative team for the project. Sleepy Hollow’sAlbert Kim has joined the project as showrunner, executive producer, and writer. It’s the first confirmation of his involvement since Illuminerdi dropped the rumor back in February. He’ll work alongside fellow executive producers, Dan Lin, and Lindsey Liberatore. Goi Roseanne Liang and Jabbar Raisani join the project as directors.
They also found their cast with Gordon Cormier playing Aang, the “fun-loving twelve-year-old who just happens to be the Avatar, master of all four elements.” The waterbending siblings’ Katara and Sokka will be played by Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley. Finally, the firebending prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko, also joins the cast in the form of young actor Dallas Liu, who some might know from PEN15. Kim had the following to say in a blog post on the importance of this series heading into live-action:
A live-action version would establish a new benchmark in representation and bring in a whole new generation of fans. This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in.
It hasn’t been an easy road for the project, as it originally included the creators of the Nickelodeon animated show before they left due to creative differences. The Last Airbender ran for three seasons before it got a sequel in 2012 titled The Legend of Korra. Nickelodeon is currently looking to expand the franchise, with the creators starting a new studio, which will develop films and series for Paramount+. It’ll be interesting to see how the live-action version will adapt the original series, and how different the paths will be from the new studio.
Space Jam: A New Legacy brought back an iconic franchise that saw the Looney Tunes reunite with a famous basketball player. While Michael Jordan didn’t return, LeBron James took center stage and played a game with the famous cartoon characters against a group of unlikely foes. In the case of the Loony Tunes, they did continue the classic voices of many characters, with Eric Bauza continuing to voice characters like Bugs Bunny.
Yet, they did end up recasting some members such as Zendaya taking over the role of Lola, which recently got reinvented by Kristen Wiig on The Looney Tunes Show. Another new casting was in the form of famous comedian Gabriel Iglesias as Speedy Gonzales. He recently appeared on The Late Show and discussed his role in the film with Stephen Colbert, where he revealed some curious decisions made for his casting as the iconic character. First off, he didn’t have to audition for the role, and they offered him to change the iconic voice of the character.
I thought that was pretty awesome that they would give me that power. And I said ‘No. When people think of Speedy Gonzales, I don’t want them to think of me, I want them to think of Speedy Gonzales.’
Gabriel Iglesias
He goes on to reveal that even though he was already cast as the character, they weren’t sure if he could to an impression of him. It was a rather surprising inquiry as he already got the part before someone revealed that:
The question was asked, ‘Can you do Speedy Gonzales?’ And I’m like, ‘How did I get the part? Oh, they needed a big brown shield.’
Gabriel Iglesias
It’s a curious way for Warner Bros. to handle the casting, but there have been many controversies surrounding the character and the stereotypes he portrayed. Iglesias did go on to make the joke after they loved his performance that “I have been Mexican a long time.” before he showed off his vocal performances on the show. He also highlighted the fact that he and his family loved growing up with the character.
If you are interested, you can check out the original interview here:
Marvel Studios has been continuing to expand more and more. First, they expanded into long-form storytelling through Disney+, and with the release of What If…? they even joined the animation market. There have already been hints at them wanting to explore more projects through the medium. The only other project confirmed so far is the photo-realistic animated series exploring the adventures of Baby Groot in I Am Groot. There’s also the question if they would continue to build upon the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse or explore unique avenues through animation.
In an interview with Variety, Brad Winderbaum may have offered some insight into their approach. He confirmed that all projects will be under Marvel Studios and produced by Kevin Feige. As such, he proclaims they’ll “be born of the same stuff that makes the rest of our content.” He also goes on to tease the following, as Variety highlights these projects will be connected:
How will they be connected? Time will tell as the story of the multiverse unfolds.
So, it’s likely that any future ventures will play into the multiverse concept that got set up by Loki’s final episode. It’s the perfect way to revisit already established characters while still keeping them within canon in some way or another. Their animation’s “unique aesthetic” got developed together with independent animation studios. Flying Bark Prods, Squeeze Animation Studios, and Blue Spirit were involved in the process. They would be open to work alongside Pixar and Disney Animations to expand their repertoire. Still, no matter what animation style they follow, it’ll be interesting how these projects will interconnect as they explore new approaches with each one. Marvel Studios has a bright future ahead, and we can’t wait to see what animated projects might be heading our way in the future.
Marvel Studios’ first foray into animation with What If…? featured a wide cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Around 85% of the cast returned to reprise their iconic roles with some noticeable absentees. There has been some uncertainty why they weren’t invited or what would’ve led to actors like Brie Larson, Chris Evans, and more not reprise the roles they played for so many years. Dave Bautista then took to Twitter to announce that he wasn’t even approached to reprise the role, which added even more confusion. Well, it seems there might’ve been some miscommunication, as the new head of Marvel Studios’ animation department, Brad Winderbaum, just revealed that they’ve reached out to everyone in some form or another.
I saw that, too. It’s my understanding that everybody was asked in some way, shape or form, either through their agents or directly. I don’t know really what happened behind the scenes there, but certainly, we would have loved for him to be in the show. So there’s probably some miscommunication somewhere.
It’s unclear if it truly was just a miscommunication that led to his absence, but given how many names returned, it would’ve been odd not to invite him. He’s set to return as Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. So, it’s not like his time with the character has come to an end with the franchise. Bautista is known to be outspoken on Twitter. So, he might openly discuss if it truly was a case of miscommunication, which can happen in such a large industry. Still, if the character returns in a second season, it would be great if they’d let him join the project after all.
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