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Category: News

  • EXCLUSIVE: Aramis Knight on South Asian Representation in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    EXCLUSIVE: Aramis Knight on South Asian Representation in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    The Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Ms. Marvel has opened a window into Pakistani culture, giving viewers a look at one of mainstream media’s most underrepresented communities. The cast is full of actors and actresses of South Asian origin or heritage, including Aramis Knight, who was introduced as the Red Dagger Kareem in Episode 4.

    In an exclusive interview, Knight, who is of Pakistani descent, talked about what it meant to him to be part of a show that brings South Asian culture to the masses in an unprecedented way.

    It was amazing. You know growing up I never really had a hero that I looked up to who I felt looked like me who sounded like me who was like me at all. So to be kind of able to be the first is incredible. I have family back home who are just over-the-moon-excited to see me in this show-to see me involved in this at all. Representation is so important and I’m really thankful to kind of be a pioneer of that. It’s the first time in mainstream television that you’re seeing South Asian representation. We’re super thankful for it. Honoring my grandmother in the best way I could think.

    Aramis Knight

    As director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy expressed to us in a separate interview, Ms. Marvel presents audiences with the opportunity to experience South Asian culture through experiences with Kamala Khan and her family, something that, as Knight points out, is uncommon in pop culture. Given the audience response to the show so far, those experiences have served to make the series one of Marvel Studios’ most beloved…and one that fans hope gets a second season renewal sooner rather than later.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Aramis Knight on Working Alongside MCU Superfan Iman Vellani in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    EXCLUSIVE: Aramis Knight on Working Alongside MCU Superfan Iman Vellani in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Episode 4 of Ms. Marvel marked the MCU debut of Aramis Knight, who portrayed Kareem, one of an ancient order of Red Daggers who protect the people of Pakistan. The 22-year old Knight is another of several young actors working alongside star Iman Vellani in the show, all of whom have grown up in a world where the MCU has been front and center in mainstream entertainment.

    Knight’s role as Kareem meant that he spent a significant amount of his time on set with Vellani, who fans have learned is an absolute MCU superfan. In an exclusive interview, we asked Knight if, having grown up surrounded by the MCU, he was on Vellani’s level as a fan. “No, definitely not. I’d be lying if I said I was“, said Knight. “But also, there’s few people in the world who are on Iman’s level of MCU fan, so it’s a tough act to follow, but she definitely taught me a lot about the universe.“

    Knight went on to praise his co-star’s complete grasp of not only her role but also the MCU and the character’s place within it.

    I’m really happy to be involved and also have her there because she, like, creatively, understands the show so much. Honestly, at this point, she should just be a producer as well because she is so well-versed in the universe. She completely understands the role that Kamala plays and she really just is Kamala. It’s absolutely amazing and I cannot imagine anyone else playing the role at all.

    Aramis Knight

    Through 4 episodes, Ms. Marvel has continued to receive high praise from both fans and critics and Vellani has been at the center of it all. Marvel Studios President Kevin Fiege has also mentioned how well-versed Vellani is in the MCU and, according to Knight, her presence in the series is also helping to raise everyone else’s game as well. As Knight says, it’s hard to imagine anyone else inhabiting the role now that fans have seen Vellani in it.

  • Christian Bale on Why He Was the Perfect Choice for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Gorr the God Butcher

    Christian Bale on Why He Was the Perfect Choice for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Gorr the God Butcher

    Many wondered what magic director Taika Waititi pulled off to convince Christian Bale to once again return to the world of comic book adaptations. He gave us an iconic version of Batman in Christopher Nolan‘s iconic The Dark Knight Trilogy and has now set his eyes on giving us what could potentially become Marvel Studios’ best villain yet in Gorr the God Butcher.

    Now, the question is on how they decided that Bale was the perfect choice to bring the character to life. Funny enough, he got a chance to answer that very question and pretty much highlighted that the goal was for him to bring a character to life that is the perfect opposite of Chris Hemsworth, though he also has some fun with the answer during the official press conference.

    I think, you know, you were talking about what everyone was looking for in Chris. I think in Gorr, they look for an actor polar opposite.  Someone not relatable, a bit of a loner, creepy, someone no one wants to be around, and nobody wants to see his ass.  And so, I think they went, “Yeah, we found it in Bale.”

    Christian Bale

    The aspect of Gorr being a “loner, creepy, someone no one wants to be around” is a rather curious reveal and likely his approach to the character from the approach. His design as revealed int he second trailer definitely hints at Bale‘s take on Gorr being more of a loner, whose storyline may connect to the romantic comedy aspect that the franchise is going for. Still, Bale certainly sounded like he had some fun with his response even if it may offer our first real glimpse on how he approached bringing the character to life on the silver screen.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Details on The Red Dagger Lair in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    EXCLUSIVE: Details on The Red Dagger Lair in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Episode 4 of Ms. Marvel saw Kamala Khan leave New Jersey and head to Karachi, where she quickly met Kareem, played by Aramis Knight, and learned about a secret order of protectors known as the Red Daggers. Part of keeping an order secret is having a secret location that’s tough to sniff out and the Red Daggers’ lair certainly fit that description.

    In the episode, it was revealed that the lair could be accessed through a hidden hallway behind a stove in a restaurant, something Kamala Khan found fascinating. According to Knight, the hidden lair, complete with sliding stove, was an entirely practical set and something that was kept secret from him and Iman Vellani until the day of filming.

    That set was 100% practical. The Chinese restaurant set as well as when I pushed the oven and it reveals the Red Dagger HQ in the hall…that was totally practical. So that day, while we were rehearsing-it was me and Iman and Sharmeen-and we were walking through the door and we weren’t even in costumes yet, loosely walking through it, I go to push the oven and I figured that the oven would maybe move back and we’d move to a different set. Little did I know, it was 100% practical. So when I pushed it back, it just kept rolling back, kept rolling back, like 20-30 feet into just, this huge hallway, and you walk down this hallway and you’re into that like beautiful blueish-green color of the Red Dagger lair. It was just amazing. We literally stopped in the middle of our rehearsal and were just like in awe of the set that they had built. It was incredible.

    Aramis Knight

    In a time where complicated sets are often touched up with VFX or shot using technology like the volume, a practical set of that size with so many moving parts is impressive. Equally impressive was the crew’s ability to keep it from the actors, allowing Vellani to get an authentic reaction to the hidden hallway that could inform her character’s discovery of it during filming. The set design has been top notch for all four episodes of Ms. Marvel and the lair of the Red Daggers is no different.

  • Christian Bale on Experimenting With His Take on Gorr the God Butcher While Filming ‘Thor 4’

    Christian Bale on Experimenting With His Take on Gorr the God Butcher While Filming ‘Thor 4’

    Christian Bale‘s take on Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder is definitely a new take of the character that was made famous in a recent Thor run where he would make good his commitment to killing gods. When we got our first look at Bale‘s design, we were surprised at how different he looked and it seems that Bale got a chance to also experiment with bringing this version of the character to life during the official press conference for Thor: Love and Thunder.

    Loved it, you know, because you don’t really know exactly what you’re doing with a character like that..until you see it completely, it’s in your imagination.  And we didn’t have that long, you know, we talked about it during quarantine and, you know, in an abstract way.  But then put it on, and it worked out all right. This was a pious man with tattoos and he’s cut those off, and so would have all those scars.  And that’s when you really get to start playing with it and experiment as you film.  You know, you discover it as you go.

    Christian Bale

    The “experiment as you film” aspect also fits nicely into how director Taika Waititi generally approaches his projects. He’s known for being quite a bit more inventive during production and even Natalie Portman pointed to him throwing out the script on some days. So, it also seemingly gave Bale a fun position to experiment and try out how he’ll bring the character while filming the Marvel project. So, we’ll see how the dynamic filming style may have also led to one of Marvel Studios’ most creative entries.

  • Former ‘Doctor Who’ Showrunner’s Adaptation of ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ Canceled After Only One Season

    Former ‘Doctor Who’ Showrunner’s Adaptation of ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ Canceled After Only One Season

    Sadly, it looks like the adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger‘s novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife, won’t be making a return after all. Deadline has just reported that Deadline has decided to cancel the series created by Doctor Who’s Steven Moffat. The series starred Rose Leslie and Theo James which explored what it means to face marital problems with a time-traveling twist.

    Though HBO will not be moving forward with a second season of The Time Traveler’s Wife, it was our privilege to partner with master storytellers Steven Moffat and David Nutter. We are so grateful for their passion, hard work and care for adapting this beloved book. We also thank Theo and Rose, and the rest of our brilliant cast for their heartfelt performances, which completely captivated audiences.

    It’s a shame they didn’t continue the story to fully develop the storyline, especially with how it explored a very unlikely marriage situation. Of course, it’s not the first time the novel was adapted as we also had the film back in 2009 starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams in the leading roles.

    HBO has been on a hunt for their next big show, especially with a lot of hope of seeing the prequel series for Game of Thrones take over that very spot. Romance stories don’t have a strong following nowadays and they may have had an issue keeping their audience throughout. So, even if it has an interesting sci-fi hook, there’s still too much attention to compete with out there at the moment.

    Source: Deadline

  • No Sequels to ‘inFAMOUS’ or ‘Sly Cooper’ In Development

    No Sequels to ‘inFAMOUS’ or ‘Sly Cooper’ In Development

    Here’s some depressing news, Sucker Punch has just recently shared a statement in regard to their 25th anniversary. It’s something to celebrate but it sadly looks like they have no interest in continuing some of their most iconic franchises. No exact reasoning is given but in a statement on their official website, they have shared that there are currently no plans to revisit the inFAMOUS or Sly Cooper franchise. Not only that but they also highlighted that no other studio is working on a project that includes these franchises either.

    As our games continue to grow in scale and complexity, they require the full attention of our studio. With our focus on our current project, we have no plans to revisit inFAMOUS or Sly Cooper right now, and no other studio is currently working on projects related to those franchises either. These characters are very special and near and dear to our hearts, so while we’d never say never to re-opening those doors down the road, for now there are no inFAMOUS or Sly Cooper games in development.

    Now, the good news is that they aren’t closing the door on them, but with new franchises like Ghost of Tsushima and whatever they may have in their pipeline next. They do confirm that Cole’s Legacy DLC for inFAMOUS Second Son will be made available on PlayStation Store for those that missed out on it. So, we’re still getting something from those franchises. Though, considering how much time is required to develop projects, we may not see these two return for quite a few years at this rate. Perhaps some studio finds that spark to bring these iconic franchises back.

    Source: Sucker Punch

  • Taron Egerton in Talks with Marvel Studios, Interested in Playing MCU’s Wolverine

    Taron Egerton in Talks with Marvel Studios, Interested in Playing MCU’s Wolverine

    Kingsman: The Secret Service and Rocketman‘s Taron Egerton has actively talked about his hope of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe one day. Amid fans casting him as the MCU’s new Wolverine, Egerton expressed excitement in taking up the reigns from Hugh Jackman. Luckily, The New York Times had the chance to sit down with the actor during his press tour for the Apple TV+ series Black Bird, where he revealed that he has indeed met with Marvel Studio executives, including Kevin Feige himself. Egerton also explicitly mentions Jackman, adding to the rumors that the talks might’ve been for the role of Wolverine.

    I don’t think it would be wrong to say that. I’d be excited but I’d be apprehensive as well, because Hugh is so associated with the role that I’d wonder if it’d be very difficult for someone else to do it. But hopefully if it does come around, they’ll give me a shot.”

    Egerton has been a popular pick to take on the role of Wolverine, but it’s not 100% confirmed if these talks were for the role, or a different character in the MCU. However, with a film career as eclectic as his, Egerton has proven that he has the range to succeed Jackman as Wolverine. Not to mention that Egerton stands at a not-all-that-tall 5 feet 9 inches; a perfectly acceptable height for an actor playing Wolverine. Here’s hoping the conversations between Egerton and Marvel Studios come to fruition sooner rather than later.

    Source: New York Times

  • First Look at Sigourney Weaver’s New ‘Avatar 2’ Character

    First Look at Sigourney Weaver’s New ‘Avatar 2’ Character

    Many were quite surprised when the news dropped that Sigourney Weaver will return to the world of Pandora. It was unsure how she’d return after playing the human Dr. Grace Augustine in 2009’s Avatar, but it looks like she is playing a completely new character. Empire has shared a first look at the young Na’vi Kiri, who is the adoptive daughter of Jake and Neytiri. She’ll make her debut in the upcoming release of Avatar: The Way of Water but further details on her role in the story are still uncertain.

    Going by the lore introduced in the first film, it does make sense that Weaver’s character would be reborn in one way or another. As they build up the connection between the unity that connects all living things on Pandora, it’s not too surprising that her soul may have been reborn in this new body. There’s also something nice bout letting her be reborn again and see this world from a new perspective.

    It wouldn’t be too surprising if she also becomes our guide into learning how the aquatic side of Pandora works, as this is new to the entire Sully family. We still know very little about the story and how the conflict is potentially set up moving forward but it does seem like we’ll be in for another wonderful adventure.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Offers Insight on Episode 4’s Surprise Ending

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Offers Insight on Episode 4’s Surprise Ending

    Ms. Marvel ended episode 4 on quite a cliffhanger. After being attacked by the Clandestine, Kamala Khan finds herself in another time. Not just at any time, but during the Partition when her great-grandmother was separated from her family like many others. It left us with many questions, such as if this was just another vision or if Kamala actually traveling through time. Well, director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy offered some insight into how they brought the sequence to life and talk about that twist ending.

    You know, telling the story of The Partition comes with great responsibility. And I, in Episode 4 at the end, when she walks on the platform, I took hundreds of photographs from 1947. And I worked with the crew and the cast to recreate frames from real photographs. So when she walks onto that train, walks onto the platform, the conversation she’s hearing and the way people are being carried and the props, everything comes out of a real photograph.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    It definitely sounds like they put a lot of work into bringing this sequence faithfully to life, which makes sense given its historical importance for the generations that lived through it. Obaid-Chinoy also gave some insight into what Kamala’s role is in this sequence.

    So that Kamala Khan is bearing witness to history. She’s not a superhero at that moment. She’s literally catching these frenetic conversations. And I think that when you make it personal when you make it about people leaving their homes, then anyone watching anywhere in the world would find a connection to it.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    There’s definitely something interesting about the fact that she’s not only hearing the stories but also witnessing their events. Once again, the Disney+ Marvel series is promising an emotional rollercoaster of a fifth episode though it’ll be interesting how it leads into the final episode and what the future has in store for the Clandestine. Ms. Marvel is shaping to be one of Marvel Studios’ strongest showings and it’ll be exciting to see how they wrap up the project.

    Source: The Direct