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Category: News

  • DC FANDOME: BTS Footage of ‘Aquaman’ Sequel Revealed

    DC FANDOME: BTS Footage of ‘Aquaman’ Sequel Revealed

    The hotly anticipated sequel to 2018’s Aquaman is currently in production as both James Wan and Jason Momoa return for another deep sea outing. Not much is known about the film, aside from the talent that’s joined the cast including Jani Zhao, Indya Moore, Vincent Reagan and Pilou Asbæk. While the film is still over a year away, DC Fandom just blessed us with a great BTS reel showcasing concept art and other goodies from the seven seas.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jLEVrH4Bhg
    https://twitter.com/DCverso1/status/1449425433393569793

    It’s clear from these images that Momoa and his team weren’t kidding when they said this movie would be a lot bigger in scope and scale. One look at the concept art of those giant insects is indicative of just how crazy this sequel is ramping up to be. That image of Black Manta looks very exciting as well.

    Source: DC FanDome, Twitter, YouTube

  • DC FanDome: First Look at the JSA Members from ‘Black Adam’

    DC FanDome: First Look at the JSA Members from ‘Black Adam’

    DC FanDome wasted no time bringing out the biggest star on its stage today. Dwayne Johnson kicked off the event with a first look at his long-developing passion project, Black Adam. We got some great footage of Adam’s revival in modern times, but we also got a nice tease of what to expect from the group of JSA members that will join Black Adam in the film as fans got their first looks at Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone and Atom Smasher.

    Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo will bring Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Cyclone and Atom Smasher to the screen, respectively, and will bring the JSA to the big screen for the first time.

    Black Adam is set to hit theaters July 29, 2022.

  • Alaqua Cox Talks Casting And Representation in ‘HAWKEYE’

    Alaqua Cox Talks Casting And Representation in ‘HAWKEYE’

    Alaqua Cox will soon make her MCU debut as Echo in Hawkeye and her spin-off show is looking like it will go into production early next year. The first-time actress will also be making her on-screen debut, so we are just beginning to learn a bit more about her. She was recently selected as one of People magazine’s One to Watch 2021 feature indicating what a special talent Marvel Studios have found themselves. In the interview she not only mentions how serendipitously she came across the casting call but also how important the role is for diverse representation on-screen: 

    I had no acting experience, I was only involved in one school play in high school, but I was a background actor. [My friends] saw the casting call looking for a Native American actress and female deaf actress. It just matched so perfectly, so I decided to go for it. I had never seen anybody on the screen that maybe looked like me … deaf, an amputee.

    Cox who is Native American and grew up on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin has been deaf her whole life, has had a right lower leg amputation and was working at a factory before applying for the role. It’s clear that there aren’t many on-screen characters with those kinds of backgrounds, especially in big-budget studio projects, so she also spoke about the impact of playing Echo has had even before she has debuted:

    My dad actually cried, and it is rare to see my dad cry. My mom got the champagne — everybody was so excited. I just feel so overwhelmed by support and love. It’s crazy how much my life has already changed because I was a college dropout. I worked at a factory. I’m so excited to show people who I am and what I can do, what anybody can do.

    As a first-time actress, and like her character Cox is also learning a lot as she goes. She makes reference to this when talking about enjoying working with Hawkeye himself Jeremy Renner:

     I think he’s one of the coolest guys. I learned a lot from him.

    Echo is expected to have Native American representation in the writers’ room, potentially including Bobby Wilson, who has worked on Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs, both shows with Native American representation in cast and crew. It’s exciting, too, for deaf representation that the casting call Cox shared on Instagram suggested that some of the cast will be deaf with fluency in ASL being a requirement. All in all, Cox’s debut in Hawkeye and the spin-off Echo look set to be boundary-pushing moments for representation in the MCU.  

    Sources: People via Twitter

  • ‘Love and Monsters’ Michael Matthews to Direct Disney’s ‘Merlin’

    ‘Love and Monsters’ Michael Matthews to Direct Disney’s ‘Merlin’

    Disney has found their director to adapt T.A. Barron‘s novel series focused on the early days of the wizard Merlin long before he meant King Arthur. Michael Matthews of Love and Monsters fame will tackle the project after Ridley Scott had to leave the project due to his schedule. The project is currently in early development with Gil Netter set to produce and Chris Weitz having written the film’s script.

    The film will act as an origin story for the famous mentor of King Arthur, but there’s no word if they might also pay tribute to Disney’s animated film The Sword in the Stone from 1963. As it’s an adaptation of Barron‘s work, it will most likely not include any elements even if it’s an easy connection to make given the versatility of King Arthur adaptations.

    Matthews made his name in the industry with the adventure film Love and Monsters, which starred Dylan O’Brien and Jessica Henwick. It especially got a new life when it was released on Netflix internationally after a good PVOD run a few months earlier. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to this adaptation and what Disney’s plans are with the franchise.

    Source: Deadline

  • RUMOR: Dead Boy Detectives Pilot finds Director, Will Not Recast Roles

    RUMOR: Dead Boy Detectives Pilot finds Director, Will Not Recast Roles

    Doom Patrol follows a constant revolving door of characters and guest stars. Some are more permanent than others, but a few in particular became quite the instant hit. This season saw the introduction of the Dead Boy Detective Agency with Charles Rowland, Edwin Paine, and Crystal Palace making their way to Doom Manor to help bring the team back from purgatory, while courting their past. While the episode only offered glimpses, the newly introduced characters might have a bright future ahead of them.

    Before the second season of Doom Patrol debuted, it was announced that HBO Max had ordered a pilot for a possible Dead Boy Detectives spin-off. One detail that caught quite a few fans off guard was that the project was looking to possibly recast the lead roles. These roles had already been previously filled by Ty Tennant, Sebastian Croft, and Madelyn Horcher. It was a strange move by HBO Max to introduce these characters only to drop them right after. Luckily, a new report indicates that series will, in fact, not recast the lead roles.

    The new rumor by Hollywood North Buzz also notes that Lee Toland Krueger would direct the pilot. He might be familiar with CW watchers, as Krueger is best know for his work on Superman and Lois. Not just that, he is also currently set to direct a few episodes for the upcoming Green Lantern HBO Max series. So, he might’ve made DC’s TV projects his go-to choice.

    Source: Hollywood North Buzz

  • Matt Reeves Shares New Look at ‘The Batman’s Selina Kyle Ahead of DC FanDome

    Matt Reeves Shares New Look at ‘The Batman’s Selina Kyle Ahead of DC FanDome

    The wait isn’t long until we get a new trailer for The Batman. Matt Reeves’ version of the iconic Caped Crusader will release next year with Robert Pattinson in the role. He’ll be joined by quite the cast which includes Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle. We only briefly got a glimpse at the actress in last year’s DC FanDome, but luckily to hype up the next reveal the director shared a brand new image featuring the actress in clear view. He also teases that we’ll get quite a bit more of her in the upcoming trailer.

    The upcoming film will reimagine the popular DC franchise in a more noir-themed storyline going by the first trailer. Paul Dano‘s Riddler took center stage in the first trailer and may challenge Pattinson‘s Bruce Wayne throughout the film’s runtime. Kyle’s exact role remains uncertain, but with Batman: The Long Halloween as potential inspiration, her role might connect to this universe’s version of Falcone. We see her with a cat-inspired mask stealing from an unsuspecting victim, which may also end up being the first time she confronts Batman. We can’t wait to see what Reeves and his team have in store for us with tomorrow’s trailer.

    Source: Twitter

  • First Look at ‘Fortnite’s Batman Who Laugh’s Skin

    First Look at ‘Fortnite’s Batman Who Laugh’s Skin

    It looks like Fortnite is adding one of Batman’s most fearsome rogue’s, as a brand new Batman Who Laugh’s set has been unveiled. Twitter user @iFireMonkey shared the first look at the skin alongside the confirmation it is a redeemable code through a limited edition Batman/Fortnite Foundation comic. He’ll also be available through the Item Shop, but won’t include the exclusive loading screen. The design looks like it was taken directly out of the original comic line. He’s the Bruce Wayne of Earth -22 that ended up killing his universe’s Joker before becoming consumed by a virus that turned him into the next Joker. He first appeared in 2017’s Dark Days: The Casting #1.

    The game’s art style has proven like the perfect blend to bring any type of medium into its battle royale universe. Fortnite has also built up quite the relationship with Marvel and DC to bring various characters from their multi-media franchises to life in the game. It’s crazy to think that there’s Tom Hardy‘s Venom in a shootout with Shang-Chi, Kratos from God of War, and Batman Who Laugh’s. The game has just recently started a new season and who knows who else might find their way into the game as it continues to grow.

    Source: Twitter, ComicBook

  • ‘Eternals’ Kumail Nanjiani Shares How Chloé Zhao Pitched Kingo’s ‘Finger Gun’ Powers

    ‘Eternals’ Kumail Nanjiani Shares How Chloé Zhao Pitched Kingo’s ‘Finger Gun’ Powers

    Eternals stars Kumail Nanjiani and Salma Hayek appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday night to promote the upcoming Marvel Studios film. During the show, we got to see a new scene from Eternals where Nanjiani’s Kingo fights a Deviant. When asked about what Kingo’s powers are, Nanjiani cheekily called them “finger guns.” As we saw in the teaser, he went on to say that it wasn’t just for show and offered some insight into how director Chloé Zhao pitched her vision of his powers.

    I got to work and I said, ‘So, how do I shoot?’…Chloe was like, ‘Finger guns.’ I was like, ‘Chloe that’s so goofy.’ She’s like, ‘No! It’s gonna be finger guns…I promise it’ll look cool.’ And so I felt stupid for six months doing this [mimics finger guns] every day.

    Kumail Nanjiana

    He might have felt stupid while filming, but after watching the new clip of Kingo, Makkari, and Ikaris fighting a Deviant, he said, “It looks pretty cool!”. So, luckily it paid off doing the goofy finger guns for those six months of filming. The teaser also showcased Makkari’s speed while keeping humanity safe from this alien threat. Back in December, we got our first tease of their various abilities and it’s great to see them finally come to life. Going by the various trailers, all the Eternals base their energy from the same source, as we see all of them utilize golden energy that may be our first glimpse into cosmic energy.

    Source: EW

  • Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Talks Playing a New Morpheus in ‘The Matrix Resurrections’

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Talks Playing a New Morpheus in ‘The Matrix Resurrections’

    After the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections finally dropped, we got our first look at Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who had an eerie similarity to Morpheus. The way he is introduced alongside some similarities to previous entries, it seemed like he’ll play a new version of Laurence Fishburne‘s classic character. The actor didn’t waste any time and confirmed it shortly after its release on Instagram. Yet, the answer also raised quite a few new questions surrounding why they recast this character while Neo and Trinity are returning.

    Luckily, he offered a clearer picture in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that while it is Morpheus, it isn’t the one you might think it is. After praising Fishburne‘s performance, who famously pointed out that he wasn’t asked to return for the fourth entry in the franchise, Abdul-Mateen goes son to say that:

    I think what the script provided was a new narrative and some new opportunities that did make room within the Matrix universe for a new Morpheus.

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

    Of course, in a world like the Matrix, anything seems possible. Even the tragic recasting of the Oracle between films was given in-universe reasoning. There’s possibly a play on why Morpheus has taken on a new, younger form while still taking on the same role towards Neo. The Aquaman actor highlights that his character is very well aware of what has happened in the series’ past.

    I play a character who’s definitely aware of the history of the Matrix [and] the history of Morpheus. This character is on a journey of self-discovery. There’s a lot in our story that’s about growth, defining your own path. Morpheus isn’t exempt from that.

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

    It’s certainly raised some eyebrows that they took this direction, but there might be a story reason for it. Even the first trailer teased that the Matrix has changed since the last time we’ve seen it. Keanu Reeve‘s Neo shouldn’t technically be alive after the events of the third film, but we see him alongside a returning Carrie-Anne Moss. Once we witnessed it on the silver screen, who knows how we’ll see our world.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly, Instagram

  • Dolph Lundgren Confirms Return in ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’

    Dolph Lundgren Confirms Return in ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’

    DC FanDome is just around the corner and it may offer some insight into future projects. Among them is the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman movie. After its massive box office success, it was only a matter of time before they’d start work on a sequel. In June, production started as director James Wan shared the first photo from the set. We got a new photo from the production, but this time from Dolph Lundgren. In his latest Instagram post, he confirms he’s returning to play King Nereus.

    It’s great to see Lundgren return in the role and that he gets to keep his red hair from the first. The absence of a beard is quite interesting. They might still be in the middle of adding the fake beard, or they chose to keep it out this time around. The post doesn’t give away anything on what role he might have in the film. Arthur Curry might try to make amends for his brother’s actions as he brings the kingdoms back together.

    Of course, there’s also the question of what the mysterious Lost Kingdom might be. The first set photo teased an icy cave, which might hint that their next threat is hiding in the Antarctic. Jason Momoa shared a new stealth suit back in September, which might be how he enters the new region. It makes you wonder if he’ll get joined in his adventure. Perhaps Lundgren has a larger role this time around and will also infiltrate the lost kingdom.

    Source: Instagram