2023 is set to be another major year for gaming, as many iconic franchises are making a return. We’re getting remasters of previous Persona games, more rumors hinting at the return of Metal Gear Solid, and more. There’s also the release of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, which will see the return of Cal Kestis and a new game in the Star Wars franchise. That is not all, as it seems that we might finally get an update on the open-world game set in this universe by Massive Entertainment.
We first heard about the game’s development back in January 2021, but outside of it being open-world, we didn’t know anything else about the project. It was also the first game to not be developed by EA in any way, which would set a new direction for Lucasfilm Games. We haven’t heard anything since but a new tweet by Julian Gerighty, the Creative Director for Ubisoft, shared a new tweet hinting at the project in 2023.
While it doesn’t mean that the game will release this year, there’s a chance we at least get an update. They may wait until the March release of Jedi Survivor, as it gives them some time to focus on advertising the project before they focus on their next game in the iconic franchise. Here’s hoping that the wait isn’t much longer until we get a closer look at what the open world game may be like. Here’s hoping we might get to play Mandalorian staking out bounties in the galaxy.
Batgirl is the project we’ll always wonder what it would’ve been like if it released as initially planned. It’s still bizarre to think that Warner bros. Discovery simply scrapped a near-finished project, especially with the hopes of them building a true DC Cinematic Universe. Sadly, we might never know what Batgirl was going to be like but ever since the cancelation, we’ve been seeing quite a few BTS images make the rounds.
Just yesterday, its star Leslie Grace shared a look at what her final costume was going to look like. Now, Twitter user @BatgirlFilm which shared quite a few scenes from behind the scenes throughout its production shared another set of photos that include another look at Grace‘s Batgirl costume. That’s not all, as we also get a close-up of what Brendan Fraser‘s Firefly costume was going to be.
Here’s some more never before seen BTS shots of @lesliegrace in Batgirl.
It’s definitely a shame we’ll never truly see what exactly Firefly was going to be capable of, especially with how amazing Brendan Fraser‘s resurgence as an actor has been. We don’t know if they would’ve gone down a very different route with the character as a more redeemable man forced into the position he is in, or if Fraser got the chance to just be a straightforward villain.
Is there a chance we might see this project released after all? Sadly, as they cut it mid-finalization due to saving tax, they aren’t allowed to produce or release it. Perhaps the new co-CEO James Gunn has a chance to find a workaround to get it back. For now, we can only think of what was.
Persona’s anniversary in 2022 hasn’t quite lived up to the hype in some aspects. While it did finally lead to the confirmation that Persona 3 Portable (oddly without a name change) and Persona 4 Golden are heading to consoles, there was no sign of the sixth entry of the franchise.
It’s great that they aren’t rushing out the sequel but not even a sign or brief teaser to capitalize off of its anniversary seemed odd. Persona 5 was released back in 2016 and many hoped to avoid a similarly long wait that occurred between that game’s release and Persona 4 in 2008. Yet, it seems like the wait will be quite a bit longer but a new statement by Atlus may have given some hope going into 2023.
In 2023, we will start with the remastered releases of P3P and P4G, and we are also preparing several new unannounced titles. Please look forward to it!
Sadly, they don’t give away anything but we can at least expect some new games from Atlus to get announced eventually. They may be holding back on some releases due to the production timeline needing more time and if Persona 6 is on the menu, they’d likely want to make sure they won’t keep postponing it like they did last time around.
Sadly, we’ll just have to wait and see what is heading our way for now. There are also quite a few other franchises under the Atlus umbrella that might get their time to shine. Soul Hacker just got a new entry last year and who knows if another Shin Megami Tensei title is already further along in production. Perhaps last year was just the prelude to many more titles heading our way.
The MCU has gotten much larger since Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame wrapped up the Infinity Saga. Thanks in part to Disney Plus, new heroes and villains have quickly accumulated and with two years to go until the next Avengers double-feature kicks off with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, those numbers will surely continue to grow. With so many new heroes joining those who survived Endgame, putting together a team of heroes to take on Kang the Conqueror shouldn’t be too hard. However, with Secret Wars set to follow up shortly after, are there too many heroes?
A new rumor from @MyTimeToShineH suggests that in order to keep the runtime of SecretWars a little more manageable, Earth-616’s Avengers will be the main focus of The Kang Dynasty but kept to the sidelines for most of Secret Wars, which will “focus on the heroes from other universes.” It sounds like the events of the 2026 film will involve a group of Multiversal Avengers!
This is how they plan to make Secret Wars work without making it a 4 hour movie.
Kang Dynasty will have the "New Avengers" as the leads. While Secret Wars will mostly be from the point of view and will focus on the heroes from the other universes.
Those other heroes could be from Fox’s Fantastic Four or X-Men films, the Sam Raimi or Marc Webb Spider-Man films or other universes populated with versions of heroes that haven’t been visited yet. It’s an interesting rumor that also happens to fit most peoples’ wishes for the film. Given the previous rumor about Hugh Jackman and Tobey Maguire fighting alongside each other, it would seem that they’d be leading the squad. What characters would you like to see on the team of Multiversal Avengers?
2023 is finally upon us. We’ve entered a new year and Phase for Marvel Studios, as we’re about to see what else they might have up their sleeve. To kick off the new era, we finally meet Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While this part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was always more of a comedy, the third entry will seemingly up-the-ante in a spectacular way with Cassie Lang also growing into a new role.
The first artwork already gave away she’ll become a hero of her own, but the new artwork is offering a closer look at some of the updated designs of these characters. As shared by @MCU_Facility, there are a few new pieces that offer a look at the various designs and Ant-Man’s family still remains the most consistent across the various characters, especially with Lang’s costume combining elements from her father’s and van Dyne’s.
Interestingly enough though, it seems like Cassie won’t be getting a superhero name just yet. In the comics, she’s known either as Stature or would eventually get the name Stinger; something a bit closer to that of Ant-Man and Wasp.
They might still be trying to keep some secrets from viewers, and it’s being hinted at as the next big event film for Marvel Studios. So, it’ll be interesting to see if Quantumania can offer that what some had hoped to see in the more comedic-driven entry of the MCU.
Yes, you read the title right. It seems that Shuri was always meant to inherit the title of Black Panther, but not in the way Chadwick Boseman‘s tragic death led the story. It seems that they originally wanted to have Letitia Wright‘s character also inherit the title and explore the dynamic that persists of two characters holding it at the same time.
Instead, the mantle has now been passed on due to T’Challa also passing away in the universe. So, the story had to take a different direction with her being the sole heir to the title and a surprising twist on who will rule Wakanda. In an interview with Empire, Wright got a chance to reflect on the original plans and the weight of carrying the title.
It was bittersweet. Shuri was always gonna do it. But it was gonna be done in a different way where her brother was gonna be alongside her, really explore that, like the comic books, the ways that T’Challa and Shuri would be Black Panther alongside each other and try to figure out how to defend their nation. But unfortunately that’s not how it panned out. I knew the responsibility, I knew the weight of it, but it was just bittersweet, something I struggled with a lot. But I’m extremely proud of myself, had great support.
Letitia Wright
The more we hear about the original storyline behind Wakanda Forever, the more it seems that most of the pieces were always in place but had to reshape it surrounding a much stronger story of grief. It matched the overall theme of Phase 4 but it always leaves one wondering what could’ve been.
There were some concerns that Disney would try to get Black Panther: Wakanda Forever out on Disney+ before the holidays hit. While Eternals managed to wait out until January, there was still some uncertainty about just how long they’ll keep that release window alive. We’ve seen Marvel Studios manage to move away from the initial 45-day Disney+ release with each project, such as Thor: Love and Thunder managing to hold out for 62 days, and luckily Wakanda Forever wasn’t forced out to enjoy the holiday box office.
Yet, it seems that a January release is indeed still in the cards, as Disney+’s Support Team has seemingly confirmed a January 20th release for the Black Panther sequel on the platform. As such, the Marvel Studios film won’t release on the streaming platform after 70 days of a theatrical run; good news for those wondering if we might see Disney enforce that 45-day window moving forward.
As of now, Wakanda Forever stands at a strong $818M international run, where most of its income stems from the domestic box office at $437M. The film faced many hurdles such as losing its main star Chadwick Boseman, having to rewrite the entire project, and living in the shadow of the unique project that was the first entry back in 2018.
It’s not going to pass a billion or even $900M but its box office isn’t something to just ignore either. The film made its money back and held quite steady at the box office with another good year for Marvel Studios. It’ll only be interesting to see how its streaming numbers will be when it releases on Disney+ later this month.
Avengers: Endgame brought together heroes from every corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for one of the most memorable action sequences of all time. How can Avengers: Secret Wars top that portal scene? By bringing together heroes from every corner of every Marvel movie universe. And a new rumor suggests that’s just what will happen.
@MyTimeToShineH has shared that Tobey Maguire and Hugh Jackman are rumored to team-up and fight “alongside” each other in Marvel Studios big saga-ending event in 2026.
Yes Tobey Maguire and Hugh Jackman will meet and fight alongside each other in Secret Wars
Maguire recently revisited the role of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Jackman finalized a deal to return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 and both actors have been rumored to make an appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars. Seeing their respective versions of these characters, who were the superheroes of the 2000s, come together on screen would certainly be the type of major crossover that would allow Secret Wars to feel “bigger” than Endgame. However, given that the script for the film is still being written and production is years away, don’t get too attached to any ideas about Secret Wars no matter how great they might sound.
Everything will change when the fire nation attacks – or, at least, when James Cameron shows audiences a fiery new kind of Na’vi. The veteran director, fresh off the successful release of his long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, has revealed the next chapter in the epic saga will introduce a fire-based tribe of Na’vi living on Pandora. According to Cameron, they will be known as the “Ash People”, and they might not be as welcoming as the forest and water-based tribes viewers have grown accustomed to in the first two films.
Speaking with the French outlet 20 Minutes, Cameron was asked to comment on what’s to come in the currently-untitled Avatar 3. His response focused on the potential diversity in culture of his fictional world:
Different cultures from those I have already shown. The fire will be represented by the “Ash People.” I want to show the Na’vi in a different light because, so far, I have only shown their good sides. In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite.
James Cameron
It sounds like each entry in the Avatar franchise will continue to add layers to the Na’vi and their societal structure. The exact plot of Avatar 3 is still unknown, but it appears the “Ash People” are set to play a large role, potentially as a new antagonist.
Murphy’s Multiverse’s Extremely Talented João Roque Pinto
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
This should come as no surprise. Of course, fans flock to MCU news. Splitting it into films and Disney+ series, the biggest movie news seems predictable. But our readers’ interest in the series is perhaps a bit unique. Of course, in general, the most interesting MCU news this year came from San Diego Comic Con’s debut of Marvel Studios’ slate for Phases 5 and 6, culminating in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a big moment in 2022 for countless reasons. The MCU's newest anti-hero, Namor, finally made his live-action debut. While many want to see the return of the character, it may not be in the form of a solo film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore confirmed that the character can definitely return in a future project, but Disney is not able to produce a standalone project based around the character. It seems the rights are still with Universal, who also holds the rights to Hulk and was the reason that character never got a sequel since the Edward Norton film back in 2008.
As a side note, MM readers apparently got a kick out of our Ultimate Lists of What to Watch Before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. If you thought the Multiverse of Madness list was chaos, just imagine what the Ultimate List for Secret Wars will look like (hint: the entire MCU and then some). Rest assured, an Ultimate List for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will hit the internet soon.
Readers also flocked to news about the upcoming Secret Invasion. Perhaps fitting for the show, some of the most-read articles involved leaked set photos or rumors about the identity of characters—specifically Emilia Clarke's character—whose identity will further be questioned throughout the series.
To be honest, DC has been a mess for quite some time. Whether you love(d) the DCEU (and/or all of the things that were in the DC multiverse but not the DC Extended Universe, which makes no sense), hated it, or (most likely) were indifferent to it, it existed. However, late this year all of it was thrown into complete additional chaos when it was announced that James GunnandPeter Safran would be taking over as co-leaders of the newly-formed DC Studios. There is plenty to try and unpack so far—for example, Henry Cavill is no longer Superman. Who else will be recast? What will they do with their current 2023 slate that includes The Flash, Aquaman 2, Blue Beetle, and Shazam 2?
Given they distract from the movies, aren’t always followed through on and the disturbing trend in their quality, it really is time for the Marvel post-credit scene to be retired. We’ll always have that kiss between Jane and Thor…before Jane disappeared for a decade.
Charles Murphy
If you still have too many opinions about it, feel free to hop right back into that conversation. But screaming into the Twitter void about movies feels so 2022. 2023 is better...right?
Honorable Mentions
It's not all about superheroes, though MM readers certainly love them. But in 2022 we had some major interest in several other things. Check out some of the most noteworthy ones below.
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