Category: News

  • Chloe Zhao Rumored to be Out as Marvel Studios Charts New Course for ‘Eternals 2’

    Chloe Zhao Rumored to be Out as Marvel Studios Charts New Course for ‘Eternals 2’

    Eternals was neither the critical nor financial success Marvel Studios hoped for when they began developing the project several years ago but it has begun to grow on audiences after making its way to Disney Plus and other streaming services. The events of the film’s big finale, which were briefly referenced in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, are rumored to set the stage for a pair of 2024 films in Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts as the Celestial Tiamut will become the focal point of a global conflict when the rare and valuable Adamantium is discovered on his corpse. Now, amid all the attention on the film, comes a coincidentally timed rumor about a potential sequel.

    MyTimeToShineHello recently took to Twitter to share both a potential comic book influence for the film and to point out that director Chloe Zhao is currently not attached to the project and may not end up helming it at all.

    The claim that the sequel will “be Judgment Day” is a reference to the recent Marvel Comics event series of the same name that saw the X-Men, Eternals and Avengers square off against each other and the Celestials to hold off the destruction of Earth. An adaptation of the event would fall neatly in line with the Prime Celestial Arishem the Judge’s final words in Eternals and could serve as way to tie the characters from the film into the larger MCU. Of course, the studio has absolutely no interest in a straight page-to-screen adaptation but Eternals: Judgment Day does have a nice ring to it.

    Marvel Studios has given no indication that a sequel to the film is officially in the works nor that Zhao wouldn’t be attached to direct. Until that time comes, rumors are all well and good for generating speculation and discussion but given the full slate of films and the studio’s well-documented history of ever-evolving ideas, this one may never come to fruition at all much less as described in this rumor.

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Creator Explains Why Movie Adaptation Failed

    ‘The Last of Us’ Creator Explains Why Movie Adaptation Failed

    The Last of Us is set to land as a series on HBO soon, but the high-profile video game adaptation wasn’t always going to be a big-budget show. Originally, the revered PlayStation exclusive was optioned as the basis for a feature-length film. In 2014, Screen Gems, the company behind the semi-successful and long-running Resident Evil movie franchise, secured the rights to put The Last of Us on the big screen. They attached legendary horror maestro Sam Raimi to direct, and game creator Neil Druckmann even held a table read to rehearse an early script. Oddly enough, that movie never panned out, and Druckmann is now ready to say why.

    In an interview with The New Yorker, the acclaimed video game director explained it was creative differences behind the scenes that ultimately lead to Screen Gems’ The Last of Us being canned. Druckmann claims he was only interested in adapting his story as a smaller indie tale, while Screen Gems and Sony instead wanted what he describes as “a particular kind of movie.” For Druckmann, the aesthetic touchstone to aim for was No Country For Old Men, while the studio wanted something more along the lines of World War Zwith massive set pieces where intimate storytelling should be. The final straw came when Druckmann began to fear a 15-hour video game could not accurately be condensed into a 2-hour film, causing the project to enter development hell.

    While he says he respected Raimi as a creative, Druckmann did not trust the other executives involved. He clashed specifically with Carter Swan, the man in charge of I.P. expansion at Sony, who told him screenwriter Craig Mazin had also expressed concern over turning the game into a movie. Druckmann responded, “Wait, the ‘Chernobyl’ guy? Why can’t I meet with him?”, and the idea for a live-action series came soon after. It’s a decision most fans are probably thankful for.

    The Last of Us debuts on HBO on January 15, 2023.

    Source: The New Yorker

  • Danai Gurira Reveals Ryan Coogler’s ‘Kung-Fu’ Plan for Okoye’s Post-‘Wakanda Forever’ Future

    Danai Gurira Reveals Ryan Coogler’s ‘Kung-Fu’ Plan for Okoye’s Post-‘Wakanda Forever’ Future

    Danai Gurira ‘s Okoye’s journey through the MCU has been as rough as anyone’s. Following T’Chaka’s death in Captain America: Civil War Okoye was present for T’Challa’s defeat at the hands of Killmonger in Black Panther. She then found herself on opposite sides of her husband in the fight for the throne. Thanos’ snap took another Wakandan King from the Dora Milaje General and though the Avengers’ battle against the Mad Titan resulted in T’Challa’s return, fate cruelly took him again, this time permanently, prior to the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. T’Challa’s death was followed by the abduction of Princess Shuri which led to Okoye’s dismissal as General at the command of Queen Ramonda who was killed by Namor a short time later.

    With little left to lose, Okoye rolled the dice and wore one of a pair of prototype Midnight Angel armors created by Shuri to aid in the battle against Talokan. As Wakanda Forever came to a close, Okoye used the armor to help free Everett Ross from custody, indicating that whatever the future holds for Okoye, it’s likely going to be tied to the powerful suit. That nebulous future might have something to do with one of the World of Wakanda spinoffs reportedly in the works. It’s long been thought that Gurira’s character would be the focus of one of those spinoffs and according to the actress, Okoye’s arc in Wakanda Forever originally ended in a way that set her character up to go on a journey of self-discovery.

    During a round of 20 questions with Deadline, Gurira told the outlet Okoye’s final moments in Wakanda Forever were meant to set her off to walk the Earth like David Carradine‘s Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu. Gurira relayed that the original ending of the film saw Okoye in Haiti with Nakia, T’Challa II and Shuri. As Okoye parted ways with the group, Shuri inquired about her future asking, “Are you going back to the Dora?“My character says no.” continued Gurira, “and [Shuri] said, ‘Where are you going to go?’ and I was like, ‘Wherever my blue suit takes me,’ and she just walks off.” Gurira called the scene between Shuri and Okoye a “beautiful moment” and went on to describe director Ryan Coogler’s vision of what the future holds for the character.

    [Coogler] was saying it’s like that kung fu show, where the guy just walked the earth. She just walks off. We don’t know where Okoye’s going. And she’s sort of letting go. She was fighting to keep that position, and then she lets it go. That’s kind of her arc, that she lets go. And we don’t know where that leads to.

    Danai Gurira

    Whatever the MCU future for Okoye turns out to be, it may be some time before fans see it. Executive Producer Nate Moore revealed that the Wakandan spinoff series is “probably not as far along as people want it to be” and Gurira has a full slate of Walking Dead-related projects ahead over the next few years. However, given Coogler’s passion for developing the World of Wakanda, there will certainly be more adventures including its characters while fans wait for the return of Okoye and her “blue suit.”

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Premiere Runtime Revealed

    ‘The Last of Us’ Premiere Runtime Revealed

    Ever since it was announced The Last of Us would receive a television adaptation on HBO, fans have wondered how much of the game’s story could fit into a single season. Past comments made by creator Neil Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin have indicated the show will cover pretty much the entirety of the first video game in its initial nine-episode run, with elements from the second game included as well, and the marketing for the show thus far seemed to confirm this. With only nine episodes to pull the whole of The Last of Us off, it’s natural that anticipatory viewers wonder how long each first season installment will be.

    An early schedule listing from HBO Latino has revealed the first episode will be a whopping 85 minutes in length. As discovered by YouTuber DomTheBomb, the January 15th premiere event is set to run almost feature-length, giving audiences a fair amount of time to become acquainted with the characters and world of The Last of Us.

    HBO is known for producing series with large-scale episodes, with Game of Thrones famously averaging 72 minutes per episode in its final season. While it’s neither confirmed nor likely that every episode of the upcoming Naughty Dog adaptation will be an hour and a half long, The Last of Us following Game of Thrones‘ example means there should be plenty of space for Druckmann and Mazin to retell the tale of Joel and Ellie. The original video game takes about 15 hours to complete, and nine increments of 90 minutes would result in a 13-hour season. Not as far off as people might have expected.

    The Last of Us premieres on HBO on January 15th.

  • ‘What If..?’ Composer on Adapting to Each Episode’s Genre

    ‘What If..?’ Composer on Adapting to Each Episode’s Genre

    We’re still anxiously awaiting any news on what Marvel Studios’ next season of What If…? has in store for us. Besides the brief tease from San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios has gone quiet on their animation front. Wild rumors have circulated that didn’t help matters much, but it seems we have something to carry us over in an interview by Laura Karpman on what it’s like working on the animated series, and it looks like she’s having a blast.

    Oh, I love it. The thing about What If…? that’s amazing is that every episode is different, so you’re kind of starting all over again. So every episode is its own little world or a big world. And so it really is… It’s doing these series of little films, and it’s a pleasure. It’s a great gig

    Laura Karpman

    Karpman is no stranger to working with Marvel Studios, as she’s recently been involved with Ms. Marvel and even next year’s film release, The Marvels. While details on those projects aren’t divulged, she does tease how she had to adapt to each episode’s unique theming while also adhering to the scores that inspired them, if it was a Captain America or Guardians of the GAlaxy-focused episode.

    So it’s one of those things where big decisions have to be made in every episode. And in fact, it’s the opposite of prescriptive. Although there are materials that we can draw from if we choose to. So there are preexisting materials. If I want to use some of Ludwig [Göransson]’s music or Alan Silvestri music, or anybody who’s worked in the MCU, we think about how do we want to do it. And I only have one kind of monster rule for myself when it comes to using the great themes written by the composers, and that is that I don’t actually ever look at the sheet music. I do it all by ear because I think if it filters through my brain somehow, then it’ll feel like the show. Then it’ll feel like I’ve had my influence rather than just really drawing exactly from what was written. And I think it’s better for the show too, because then it feels somewhat new.

    Laura Karpman

    It definitely sounds like the series gave her a fun challenge while flexing her creative muscle. There’s something unique about their first animated project that is steeped in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history. Now, we only need to wait for an official release date.

    Source: Collider

  • More Evidence for ‘Eternals’ Sequel Surfaces

    More Evidence for ‘Eternals’ Sequel Surfaces

    No matter where one lands on the Phase 4 debate, Marvel Studios has ventured out quite a bit with their latest entries to avoid the franchise growing stale on the formula the Internet has proclaimed it suffers from since its inception. Among one of the most divisive entries was Eternals, a film by Chloe Zhao that tried a little something different with how it depicts heroism and the galactic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Now, more evidence has surfaced that Marvel Studios may have plans for a sequel to Eternals, as Don Lee a.k.a. Ma Dong-seok‘s Big Punch Entertainment, his management agency, has released a curious public statement teasing some of his upcoming projects. The Twitter account @UPDATEETERNALS translated the message which hints at some of the upcoming projects including Criminal City 4, Wilderness, Crime City 3, and, you guessed it, Eternals 2.

    There are still quite a few spots in Phase 6 that haven’t been given a project and we haven’t heard from Zhao in a while regarding what she’s working on next. While critics and fans have been somewhat harsh on the project since its release, a recent movement has been sharing their enjoyment of the picture now that Phase 4 has wrapped up.

    There were also a lot of open questions we were left with after the final moments of that film, especially with how Arishem teased his judgment of Earth at a later point. If rumors surrounding the plot of Captain America: New World Order are true, there’s a big chance that we witness the consequences in an Eternals sequel.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ on Pace to Challenge ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ for Best Box Office of 2022

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ on Pace to Challenge ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ for Best Box Office of 2022

    The box office undoubtedly belonged to sequels fans waited far too long for in 2022. As it stands now, Top Gun: Maverick, which originally released in May, sits the global box office throne having taken in $1,488,732,821 in total. However, the Tom Cruise-led sequel’s reign may be just about over.

    After taking in $64M and remaining the #1 film in the U.S. over the Christmas weekend, Avatar: The Way of Water now has a global box office total of $855.4M and, according to Fandango’s Erik Davis, will cross the $1B mark on Wednesday. When it does, it will move into the top 3 totals of 2022 and put Maverick firmly on its sights.

    It seems likely that The Way of Water will ultimately fly right on by Maverick, but it’ll still have an incredible amount of work to do to catch up to its predecessor in the Avatar franchise. 2009’s Avatar sits at #1 on the all-time box office list just shy of $3B ($2.9B). That film only opened to about half of The Way of Water’ s first weekend haul, but had the benefit of multiple rereleases over the years.

  • Sam Wilson Rumored to Assemble a New Team of Heroes to Take on a Surprising Foe in ‘Captain America: New World Order’

    Sam Wilson Rumored to Assemble a New Team of Heroes to Take on a Surprising Foe in ‘Captain America: New World Order’

    Marvel Studios’ Phase 5 slate kicks off in less than two months with Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania and concludes in the Fall of 2024 with Deadpool 3. Phase 5 will explore cryptic MCU divisions such as the Quantum Realm, the supernatural and, of course, the Multiverse. It will also tackle some geopolitical stories and the real world-building will be done by two movies that will come back-to-back in 2024: Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts.

    A fourth Captain America project was confirmed to be in the works at SDCC ’22 after Sam Wilson picked up the shield in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Set to be directed by Julius Onah and scribed by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson, the film will see the return of Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns as the villain after nearly 16 years of absence from the MCU.

    While Thunderbolts was also announced at SDCC ’22, the first concept art from the movie was displayed at D23 and caused some buzz. Featuring Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Ava Starr, Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Taskmaster, and U.S. Agent, the team is rumored to be taking on Sentry as they search the island nation of Genosha, which was formerly the corpse of the Celestial Tiamut.

    A new rumor from insider Daniel RPK continues to tie the two films together. The rumor states that the plot of Captain America: New World Order will focus on an international conflict over Adamantium, discovered on Tiamut. Harrison Ford‘s Thunderbolt Ross (the POTUS) will join in on the Adamantium Rush and be the main antagonist of the film. Sam Wilson will oppose his plan and assemble a new team of superheroes to put an end to his scheme. This rumor didn’t spring up long after another rumor, very similar to this one, surfaced on the internet. The only difference between the two was that the other rumor described the situation from the Thunderbolts’ perspective, suggesting that both movies might be part of the same duology of a major power struggle over Genosha.

    Captain America: New World Order releases in theaters on May 3, 2024. Thunderbolts arrives in theaters on July 26, 2024.

  • Hugh Jackman Reveals Timeframe, Teases Plot of ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Film

    Hugh Jackman Reveals Timeframe, Teases Plot of ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Film

    It’s Christmas time and as far as information about the third film in the Deadpool franchise is concerned, Hugh Jackman is the gift that keeps on giving. Details about upcoming Marvel Studios projects are usually closely guarded secrets as the actors involved with those projects are coached up on what not to say. It looks like Jackman either skipped the training or doesn’t really care about norms, because he’s already let a couple of details about the Deadpool and Wolverine film slip and he’s just done it again.

    As a guest on episode #546 of the Empire Film Podcast, Jackman let a pair of juicy details loose that can be extrapolated into some potentially important details. Fans have wondered how the Deadpool and Wolverine team-up would work given Wolverine died in 2017’s Logan. According to Jackman, the events of the new MCU film will take place before Logan. With Marvel Studios in the middle of their Multiverse Saga, that’s no small spoiler and actually leaves quite a bit to unpack. As Jackman let slip recently, Deadpool 3 will involve time travel which means it’s possible that Deadpool will go back in time before Wolverine’s death and pluck him out of the timeline for their adventure. Such a choice might possibly be a Nexus Event and create a branch from the timeline. Even if Logan returns to his timeline, the adventure he and Wade go on in Deadpool 3 might end up causing a cascade of Nexus Events.

    Jackman‘s description of that adventure makes the Deadpool and Wolverine film sound an awful lot like a classic buddy cop film with the focus on just how annoying Wade is to Logan.

    Logan’s frustrated by him, wants to be a million miles away from him or wants to punch him in the head. Unfortunately, he can’t be a million miles away from him so I’m probably going to punch him in the head a lot.

    Hugh Jackman

    Of course, seeing Logan’s patience with Wade wear thin over the course of the film won’t necessarily be a surprise; Wade wears on everyone. However, it also opens up ample opportunities for Logan to punch, stab, dismember and otherwise hurt Wade which should make for some potentially memorable violence that should make fans of the R-rated Fox Deadpool and Logan films happy.

    Jackman’s comments also confirm that whatever the plot of the film is (one popular theory is that it will be an adaptation of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe in which Deadpool and Logan visit the universes of non-Marvel Studios Marvel projects and kill off the characters), he and Ryan Reynold’s Merc with a Mouth will be making their way through it together. Just how that might play out is unknown, but if Deadpool needed someone to help him kill off dozens of heroes, he’d certainly at least try to reach out to Logan who is, of course, the best he is at what he does.

    With nearly two years before the release of the currently untitled film, there’s plenty of time left for Jackman to continue to feed the audience little tidbits about the film. Despite Marvel Studio’s strict policy around allowing any details about future projects out, details like what Jackman has been revealing often do nothing other than increase hype for those projects. Maybe the studio could learn a thing or two from how leaks built hype for Spider-Man: No Way Home and let Jackman work as a one-man hype crew for the film.

    Source: Empire Podcast

  • A Behind the Scenes Look at the Entirely Practical Costumes of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    A Behind the Scenes Look at the Entirely Practical Costumes of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is arguably the best movie in the MCU Phase 4 slate. It is critically acclaimed as Marvel Studios’ Magnum Opus, and currently stands at an 84% critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is even better with an approval rating of 94%, and a CinemaScore of ‘A’. So far, it has made nearly $800M at the global box office as it nears the end of its exclusive theatrical window.

    The film hinted at where Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine will be headed in Phase 5, with this being her 3rd appearance in just under 2 years. The character is heavily rumored to play a prominent role in Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts. The movie also marked the first appearance of Ironheart in the MCU; Riri Williams will continue her journey in the 2023 series Ironheart, which wrapped filming in late October.

    Like the original film, Wakanda Forever brought the rich history of a hidden civilization to the MCU with the reveal of Talokan, an underwater kingdom. An enormous amount of work went into creating a culture for the hidden city in incredible detail.

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Costumes

    On their official Facebook page, Wētā Workshop showcased their work for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in collaboration with Academy Award-winning Costume Designer, Ruth Carter. The post featured richly detailed costumes for Namor, M’Baku, Attuma, Namora, and the warriors of Talokan.

    The character designs for the Talokans, which received wide praise, were derived and inspired by Mesoamerican artwork. The costumes were entirely physical, which was quite a hassle for the actors.

    “The headpiece is very heavy and under the water you can feel beauty in the costume, in the movements, and in all these things,” Namora actress Mabel Cadena said on the Cup of Soul Show. “But the first time, to me, was like ‘This costume is going to kill me under the water.’”

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theatres.

    Source: Wētā Workshop | The Cup Of Soul