Category: News

  • First BTS Look at Shira Haas’s Sabra from ‘Captain America 4’

    First BTS Look at Shira Haas’s Sabra from ‘Captain America 4’

    Principal photography on Captain America: New World Order is underway in Atlanta and set photos from the fourth installment in the franchise have been beginning to roll out. While they’ve been incredibly mundane to date, a new set of behind the scenes photos has provided the first look at one of the film’s new heroes!

    New set photos from Atlanta’s Majestic Diner have provided the first look at Shira Haas who will be joining the MCU as mutant hero Sabra. Haas was spotted on location with stars Anthony Mackie and Danny Ramirez. While both Mackie and Ramirez appear to be in street clothes, a closer look at Haas suggests she may be sporting some tactical gear that’s being hidden by her overcoat.

    Hass’s Sabra will be the MCU’s first Israeli superhero and while her comic book counterpart has often been the center of controversy, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige says they’re taking a “new approach” to the character.

    While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics,” the studio said in a statement to Variety, “they are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago.

    Kevin Feige

    Source: Variety

    Details on the character’s role in the film have been kept secret but sharing a scene in an American diner with Captain America and Falcon would certainly seem to indicate she’ll be teaming up with that duo to take on whatever injustices reveal themselves. Captain America: New World Order is scheduled for a May 3, 2024 release.

  • ‘Peaky Blinders’ Creator Steven Knight to Take Over Development of Not-So-Top-Secret Star Wars Film

    ‘Peaky Blinders’ Creator Steven Knight to Take Over Development of Not-So-Top-Secret Star Wars Film

    In March 2022, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof was rumored to be developing what was at the time a top-secret Star Wars project. Over time, the existence of that project was confirmed, Justin Britt-Gibson came on to co-write and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy agreed to direct the film. Almost a year to the day that the news of Lindelof’s involvement in the project broke, the writer left the project after delivering a draft of the script to Lucasfilm. Now, the project, which is reportedly being prepped for a December 2025 release has a new writer.

    According to a trade report, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will take over scriptwriting duties for the untitled Star Wars project. Lucasfilm worked fast to find a replacement for Lindelof and Britt-Gibson as it’s expected they plan to officially announce the film–and likely the creative team behind it–during Star Wars Celebration 2023 which takes place in London April 7-10.

    As Bob Iger‘s return to Disney continues to shake up the future slates of Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios, it’s hard to keep track of what to expect on the film side of things for Star Wars, even as their streaming series continue to be more hit than miss. With the recent news that Patty JenkinsRogue Squadron and Kevin Feige‘s untitled Star Wars movies were no longer in development at Lucasfilm, the Knight/Obaid-Chinoy project is the only project known to be on deck at the studio. Taika Waititi‘s untitled Star Wars project, while still in development, is nowhere near as ready to go as the now not-so-top-secret film.

  • RUMOR: Lucasfilm No Longer Developing ‘Indiana Jones’ Disney+ Series

    RUMOR: Lucasfilm No Longer Developing ‘Indiana Jones’ Disney+ Series

    Another day, another rumor as Jeff Sneider has shared something rather curious about the direction Lucasfilm might be heading in. According to his latest tweet, the recently hinted Indiana Jones Disney+ series may no longer be in development. We first heard about the project back in November of last year. Yet, the project never had any talent included and was simply an idea that was being developed very early in its development.

    So, who knows if the project was ever far enough in development? Lucasfilm has a notorious track record of announcing a variety of projects but never truly following through as of late. Sneider also mentions that they are going to focus more on Star Wars, which is likely more reactionary to recent developments with their lack of cinematic output.

    Disney has been refocusing its efforts. While they aren’t scrapping Disney+ projects, they are definitely trying to ensure that they are pushing out projects that’ll ensure they can make a direct return on investment. Star Wars, one of the most well-known IPs in cinematic history, hasn’t had a film since 2019 and every other announcement was scrapped at some point, it’s no wonder Disney wants them to focus on something.

    There’s always the chance that they are just waiting to see how successful Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny turn out. Fast-tracking a project has been the biggest stress factor for many streaming services hoping to build their next cinematic universe. So, if Lucasfilm can’t even get Star Wars running, they are likely not going to be able to push forward with other projects.

    Source: Twitter

  • Paramount’s ‘Vertigo’ Remake Eyeing Robert Downey Jr.

    Paramount’s ‘Vertigo’ Remake Eyeing Robert Downey Jr.

    Remakes are still a thing and it seems iconic films by directors like Alfred Hitchcock won’t be able to avoid it either. Paramount is seemingly trying to revive his iconic film Vertigo and may have already found its lead. It seems that Robert Downey Jr. might be the one to take on the role of the former police detective that ends up with a fear of heights and, you guessed it, vertigo.

    Steven Knight, who is most known for his work on See and Peaky Blinders, will write the script for the project. He’s been getting quite a few high-profile projects given he was also hinted at taking over the latest Star Wars film that was first written by Damon Lindelof. It seems that Davis Entertainment will be producing the project alongside Team Downey.

    It’s definitely an interesting film to adapt, and we’ll see how they bring it into the modern era. Downey Jr. hasn’t had a major role in some time, which makes this quite an interesting project to bring himself back into the spotlight. We’ll see if he can live up to the legacy left behind by James Stewart with his performance in the original film.

    Source: Deadline

  • New Rumor Further Hints at Deadpool Facing the TVA in ‘Deadpool 3’

    New Rumor Further Hints at Deadpool Facing the TVA in ‘Deadpool 3’

    The multiverse is still set to expand in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future. While we still don’t know when we’ll see Jonathan Majors return once again, the presence of Kang the Conqueror will continue to remain. One of the biggest rumors has been pointing to the third installment of Deadpool will feature him traveling through the multiverse, a fitting story given how he destroyed his own universe’s timeline after the events of Deadpool 2.

    Now, a new rumor is making the rounds from Jeff Sneider, which adds more weight to the long-running hints that we may see the return of Loki‘s Time Variance Authority in the upcoming sequel. Not just that, but supposedly we’ll see the return of Owen Wilson‘s Mobius alongside Tara Strong‘s Miss Minutes. There is, however, no other word on who else might appear from the series.

    There’s the possibility that we get some hint at this Deadpool adventure in the second season of Loki, which will continue the storyline after Sylvie unleashed the multiverse and the events we’re seeing unfold in the current Saga of the MCU. It would be great to see Tom Hiddleston have to interact with Ryan Reynold‘s chaotic Merc with a Mouth, but they may keep him for a post-credit sequence.

    There’s also the question if we might see Wolverine from a different part of the multiverse. While knowing that Hugh Jackman is reprising the role, it was never confirmed that he is the exact same character we see throughout 20th Century Studios’ long-running take on the franchise. Of course, there’s always the chance that we see that version and some more from different universes. Wolverine vs. Wolverine, anyone?

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Captain America 4’ Set Photos Provide First Look at Danny Ramierez’s Return as Joaquin Torres

    ‘Captain America 4’ Set Photos Provide First Look at Danny Ramierez’s Return as Joaquin Torres

    The fourth installment in the Captain America franchise kicked off filming earlier this week in Georgia, providing fans with the first look at Anthony Mackie‘s Captain America. Now, a new pair of photos from a different set show Mackie hanging out with Danny Ramirez‘s Joaquin Torres.

    Following the events of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Ramirez is expected to join Mackie’s Captain America as the new Falcon. The events of the film are rumored to revolve around Thaddeus Ross becoming the President of the United States and devising a plan to harvest Adamantium from the corpse of Tiamut, the Celestial killed in Eternals and left in the Indian Ocean.

    The new project marks the first time someone other than Chris Evans will suit up as Captain America in an MCU film. Mackie and Ramirez will be joined by Harrison Ford, Tim Blake Nelson, Carl Lumbly, Shira Haas and Xosha Roquemore with several additional members of the cast yet to be revealed. Captain America: New World Order is currently slated for a May 3, 2024 release.

  • AAA ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ Game in Development Based on ‘The Last Ronin’

    AAA ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ Game in Development Based on ‘The Last Ronin’

    It looks like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ recent graphic novel titled The Last Ronin will become a video game. According to Polygon, it seems that the 2020 story is set in a futuristic city after the lone surviving member of the turtles takes on one last fight. The story was quite famous for using the iconic IP in an unexpected and darker way. Now, it seems that Paramount is currently busy bringing this to everyone’s consoles.

    According to Senior Vice President of Games and Emerging Media (these titles are starting to get quite lengthy) for Paramount Global, Doug Rosen, revealed they are going to take inspiration from God of War in adapting this iconic storyline. We just recently got a callback to classic Arcade games with Shredder’s Revenge, but the Turtles never got a true AAA game that focused on a single-player experience.

    It’s unclear if they will stick to the mystery from the original story, as it was built up for dramatic effect. One last Turtle holding the weapons of his beloved brothers made for quite a dark tale and is perfect for the God of War-like treatment. Each weapon owned by a brother open s up possibilities for exploring areas in new ways. They may already let you know who is the survivor and have you gather your brother’s weapons throughout the game, instead of just handing them out once you start the game.

    The idea is also fitting given that a big challenge for any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaptation is the focus on multiple turtles with unique gameplay styles. Every turtle has a unique weapon and it’s challenging to create a single-player experience that can balance each one. Marvel’s Avengers attempted something similar with each Avenger but they all shared the same base controller settings. Still, it sounds like an exciting direction for a true AAA Turtles game and here’s hoping they are already further along in production.

    Source: Polygon

  • New Report Clarifies Marvel Studios 2023 Streaming Plans

    New Report Clarifies Marvel Studios 2023 Streaming Plans

    Less than one year ago, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, rolled out a fully loaded Multiverse Saga to the thunderous applause of fans at SDCC ’22. That slate included 9 total projects slated for release in 2023: 4 films (Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvel and Blade) and 5 streaming series (Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart and Agatha: Coven of Chaos). Halfway through halfway through the year–that’s one quarter to you and me–that slate has already been blown all to hell and the pieces haven’t been Humpty-dumptied back together again.

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which kicked off Marvel Studios 2023 as planned, was supposed to be followed by the Spring release of Secret Invasion. Spring has now sprung and though there are solid rumors of a June release of the series, there has been no word from Disney as to when fans will actually be able to check out the Nick Fury-centric spy thriller on Disney Plus. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was originally slated to follow Secret Invasion, will make its May 5, 2023 release date; however, Echo, which was scheduled for a post-Guardians Summer release, has been subject to some pretty wild production rumors and, according to showrunner Marion Dayre, was pushed to late 2023.

    Those moves began the cascade of moves that resulted in 2023’s slate devolving into chaos. Delaying the release of Secret Invasion caused the second season of Loki to be pushed back as well; Blade brought on one–and then another–new writer and a new director and was moved to 2024; The Marvels left its late July slot for Blade’s November slot, giving it more time in post-production and a better release window; with all the other series shuffling around, Ironheart and Agatha: Coven of Chaos seem destined to be moved to 2024. Dominoes. And almost a quarter of the way through 2023, Marvel Studios fans have absolutely no idea when they’ll be able to catch a streaming series on Disney Plus.

    While that might not be remedied any time soon, a new report from Variety does at least seem to clarify how many projects fans can expect to stream in 2023…sort of. According to Variety’s sources, the five series that were planned to stream this year (Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki, Ironheart and Agatha: Coven of Chaos), “have been narrowed to three or four” and whichever ones don’t make the cut will be “moving into 2024 and possibly beyond.” With Secret Invasion and Loki sure bets for 2023 and Dayre’s statement about a potential late-2023 release of Echo lining up with recent rumblings, the “three” part of “three of four” seems set. Will Marvel Studios try to jam another live-action series into the second half of 2023? If so, Ironheart would be the safest bet given that Agatha: Coven of Chaos is still filming and would not be done any favors be being rushed through post-production to make a 2023 release. So what’s the safest bet at the moment: rounding out 2023 with Secret Invasion, Season 2 of Loki and Echo. What Marvel Studios will do beyond that remains to be seen and until they give us some direction, it’s best to keep things speculative and not etched in stone.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Sets Its Sights on a Franchise Best Opening Weekend

    ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Sets Its Sights on a Franchise Best Opening Weekend

    Following the lackluster opening weekend of Shazam: Fury of the Gods, it looks like the Baba Yaga’s fourth big-screen adventure is set to kick ass at the box office. After getting glowing advace reviews that resulted in a 94% Fresh Rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a Metascore of 78, John Wick: Chapter 4 is setting up to have the franchise’s best opening weekend take.

    The franchise has always outperformed expectations, with each sequel significantly outperforming its predecessor at the box office. The three previous installments opened to $14M, $30.4M and $56.8M, respectively, and the trend looks to continue with the fourth film currently looking at a domestic opening weekend estimate of $70M and over $100M worldwide. Such a global opening would mean much of the film’s $100M production budget would be covered in the first three days of its theatrical window.

    The universe of John Wick is rapidly expanding with theatrical and streaming spinoffs planned but there seems to be no hint at waning interest from the audience. Perhaps superhero fatigure is real, but John Wick is tireless.

    Source: Variety

  • Beau DeMayo Sets the Scene for ‘X-Men ’97’ Season One

    Beau DeMayo Sets the Scene for ‘X-Men ’97’ Season One

    As Disney continues to delay Marvel Studios 2023 streaming slate, on project that was recently said to still be headed to the service this year is X-Men ’97. A revival of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97 was announced during 2021’s Disney Plus Day and the first ten-episode season has always been framed as starting right where X-Men: The Animated Series left off. During the recent X-Men: 60 Uncanny Years Live Virtual Event, X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo addressed that possibility and gave some insight into what to expect from the new show.

    We’re gonna be picking up about several months after Professor X left Earth after being shot by Henry Gyrich and had to return to the Shi’ar homeworld to be with Lilandra,” DeMayo said of where X-Men ’97 begins. Gyrich’s attempted assassination of Xavier was broadcast for the whole world to see, something DeMayo says will come into play in the new season. “And what ends up happening is that assassination attempt has led to this wave of increased sympathy towards mutants and understanding.” What does that mean for the X-Men, who were used to being hunted and hated? According to DeMayo, it’s a more positive outlook than they’re used to and that will be an adjustment.

    Despite the friends of humanity still having their mullets and getting all up in it, things are really starting to look up for mutants. And this is gonna kind of come to a head and leads our X-Men to say, ‘What does our future hold for us? We weren’t expecting this.

    Beau DeMayo

    Not everyone on the team sees the same opportunity, however. According to DeMayo, Cyclops and Storm want to take charge in the absence of Charles and “carry on the dream”, something Magneto is intent on doing with them, while others see it as a chance to move on. Either way, X-Men ’97 is about facing the future, according to the showrunner.

    As the X-Men are kind of looking at the future and, we’re going to be talking a lot about this, ‘How do you face the future? How do the X-Men do what they’ve been telling humanity to do for decades, which is embrace the future?

    Beau DeMayo

    Will fans get to pick up the old storyline this year? Marvel Studios has yet to make anything official and recent rumblings have suggested that yet another release date shuffle may have taken place. So until you tune in for the first episode of the new season, don’t count your chickens.

    Source: Marvel Unlimited via The Direct