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Category: News

  • ‘GOD OF WAR: RAGNARÖK’s Cory Balrog Talks Why They Aren’t Creating A Norse Trilogy

    ‘GOD OF WAR: RAGNARÖK’s Cory Balrog Talks Why They Aren’t Creating A Norse Trilogy

    After the reveal of God of War: Ragnarok‘s first gameplay, we found out that the second entry will end the so-called Norse series. Of course, it doesn’t mean we might not see Kratos and Atreus visit other pantheons in the future, but, surprisingly, Santa Monica Studio is moving away from the trilogy structure. Luckily, the game’s producer and director of the 2018 game, Cory Balrog, offered some more insight into why they chose to take this path and it has to do with the extended production time with modern game adaptations.

    In the interview with Kaptain Kuba on YouTube, Balrog alongside director Eric Williams revealed it was his idea initially and that they’ve realized that the amount of time it took to produce the first entry in the game would make the wait to finish the story. While it’s only one of multiple reasons, he does highlight it in the interview:

    There are several reasons. I think, one of the most important reasons is. The first game took 5 years. The second game, I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I’ll through it it’ll take close to a similar time to do this. When you think: ‘Wow, a third one in that same, we’re talking about a span to close of 15 years of a single story.’ And I feel like that is just too stretched out like we’re asking too much to say for the actual completion of the story taking that long, just feels too long.

    Cory Balrog

    It’s a great approach to not drag out the story. The first entry was a bit more intimate and built up the world filled with Norse creatures. As we enter Ragnarök, the core will remain on Kratos and Atreus moving forward. He also points out that the sequel will expand upon the first game’s biggest criticism of a lack in enemy variety. We’ll also meet a variety of new NPCs and the Blades of Chaos will get more of a focus moving forward. So, it’s exciting to see what the sequel has to offer, and hopefully, the wait isn’t too long.

    If you’re interested, you can check out the full interview here:

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘WANDAVISION’ Composer Christophe Beck Teases ‘HAWKEYE’ Involvement

    ‘WANDAVISION’ Composer Christophe Beck Teases ‘HAWKEYE’ Involvement

    Just recently, we finally got our first look at the upcoming Hawkeye Disney+ series. The big surprise was that the series is fully committing to a holiday-inspired theme, as Clint uncovers a young Kate Bishop using his old Ronin persona. It also leads to them ending in conflict with the Tracksuit mafia, as Clint tries to make it back to his family before Christmas. Of course, the trailer included a very popular Christmas song and we don’t know what the soundtrack will be. Yet, it seems that composer Christophe Beck may have hinted at his involvement with the project.

    Beck took to Twitter to share the official poster alongside the new release date. He doesn’t leave any comments on the series or sharing how excited he is for the project, which makes many think that he’s advertising his involvement with the project. He’s no stranger to working with Marvel studios, as he was behind the iconic soundtrack for their first Disney+ venture WandaVision, Ant-Man, and its sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp.

    The composer had a pretty busy year, as his latest project Free Guy also recently hit theatres. What’s curious is that Beck seems to have a love for winter-themed projects. His filmography includes both Frozen titles for Disney and Netflix’s two The Christmas Chronicles films. It’s always curious to see trends in a composer’s work that hints at what type of stories they enjoy working on. Still, Christophe Beck‘s work is quite diverse with projects ranging from Pitch Perfect, Edge of Tomorrow to The Peanuts Movie. It’ll be interesting to see what touch he’ll bring to what may be the last Marvel Disney+ series for 2021.

    Source: Twitter, Christophe Beck

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Actor Florian Munteanu on Razor Fist & His Loyalty to Wenwu

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Actor Florian Munteanu on Razor Fist & His Loyalty to Wenwu

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings only recently hit theaters, but star Florian Munteanu is already talking about what didn’t make the cut. During a recent interview with ComicBookMovie, the former heavyweight boxer revealed that fans will be seeing much more of him when the film hits Blu-Ray. While Munteanu‘s presence was undoubtedly felt throughout the movie, his role essentially just functioned as an over-the-top bodyguard. Now, “Big Nasty” claims that he filmed a few Razor Fist scenes that would have expanded on the character’s backstory and motivations.

    His spoiler-filled explanation begins,

    We had that big end battle, and you [originally] would have seen a bit more there from Razor Fist. I’m looking forward to people seeing that because there was a reason why he replaced his blade with the dragon sword and fights with two swords, but I don’t want to spoil too much and I don’t want to give away too much.

    The last we see of the Ten Rings’ foremost mercenary, he’s aligned himself with the organization’s newest leader – the formidable Xialing. Munteanu continues his informative recount by stating that deleted scenes would have given audiences a better idea as to why Razor Fist was so loyal to both Xialing and his former boss, Wenwu.

    I always call [him] stepdad because, at the end of the day, Wenwu gave him a new life and purpose and a home. He trained him and took him away from the streets. That’s also something you will see in the bonus material. [Xialing’s] his daughter, so there’s more meaning to that than just following a new leader, but we’ll have to see what happens.

    It would appear that Razor Fist, often presented as the butt of the joke, may have a more tragic origin than initially believed. Luckily, he made it out of Shang-Chi alive, so there’s still hope some of that could be explored in a future MCU project. That is if it’s not on the DVD bonus features first.

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters now.

    Source: ComicBookMovie

  • Lauren Ridloff On Makkari’s MCU Reinvention for ‘ETERNALS’

    Lauren Ridloff On Makkari’s MCU Reinvention for ‘ETERNALS’

    Marvel Studios’ upcoming Eternals looks like it will stand out from the bulk of the MCU for numerous reasons. In particular, the diversity of the film’s cast and its inclusion of underrepresented groups in superhero roles is undeniably a major move for the franchise. Actress Lauren Ridloff will make her debut as Makkari, the speedster of the Eternals, and the MCU’s first deaf superhero.

    In the comics, Makkari is a very different character— a large blonde hearing man. When asked by the New York Times why Eternals took such a different route with the character, Ridloff had this to say:

    To be honest, I don’t know much about how they made that decision. But I love that they decided to make Makkari everything he’s not in the comic books — he’s a huge guy, let’s find someone tiny. He’s blond, let’s find someone who has Black hair. He’s a man, let’s go with a woman. He’s hearing, and now the character’s deaf.

    Lauren Ridloff

    Ridloff also noted that she feels the pressure and stress that comes with the expectation for her to pave the way for future deaf actors. Asked what she hopes people will take away from Eternals, she responded:

    Growing up, I didn’t dream about becoming an actor. I didn’t see myself on the screen. As a little girl, I thought I was one of only a few deaf people walking on this Earth. Now, as an adult, I’m aware there are at least 466 million deaf people and hard-of-hearing people out there. I’m not the only one. And that’s what it means to have a deaf superhero — a lot more people will see a lot more possibility.

    Lauren Ridloff

    Notably, the MCU is already set to introduce deaf actress Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo in the upcoming Hawkeye and Echo Disney+ series and even has plans to explore Clint Barton’s AKA Hawkeye’s comic book history of deafness in the former. Marvel Studios’ vital moves to increase and highlight the diversity of its characters in Phase 4 will certainly be featured in Eternals, and Ridloff is no doubt ready to inspire a new generation of superheroes and superhero fans. 

    Source: The New York Times

  • ‘VENOM’ Sequel’s Andy Serkis Has No Doubt Spider-Man Will Face the Symbiote In a Future Project

    ‘VENOM’ Sequel’s Andy Serkis Has No Doubt Spider-Man Will Face the Symbiote In a Future Project

    Spider-Man found a comfy home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that didn’t stop Sony from slowly building their own. 2018’s Venom was their first foray that will soon get a continuation in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Of course, as Sony finally gave their franchise a name, it opened up the question of Spider-Man will interact with these characters. Morbius offered a glimpse at a connected universe with the appearance of Michael Keaton‘s Vulture, but there hasn’t been much on that since.

    Well, it seems the director of the Venom sequel, Andy Serkis, is pretty sure that it’s going to happen at some point in the future. He discussed the eventual fight between the long-time comic adversaries in an interview with IGN during the film’s premiere.

    Look, that’s the question on everyone’s lips. They want to know if Venom is gonna meet Spider-Man, but personally, it’s never gonna happen. I’m only joking, of course, it’s gonna happen. But, I think there’s so much. Look, it depends when you want to get there, and also, what the appetite is. If people want more Venom stories, then, to jump straight to Spider-Man, you could be missing out on so many great supervillain characters in between now and then. So, in a way, by rushing to it, you might be closing the door.

    Andy Serkis

    What makes this statement curious is that back in May, the director did highlight they’ve treated Venom as its own world. So, if he believes he’ll face Spider-Man, the bigger question is which one. Tom Holland seems to remain as a mainstay in the MCU moving forward, but a while back Kevin Feige hinted that he can cross between cinematic universes. Perhaps the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home push him out into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Whatever happens, it’s not going to

    Source: Instagram via The Direct, IGN

  • Krysten Ritter Would Love to Join the MCU as Jessica Jones

    Krysten Ritter Would Love to Join the MCU as Jessica Jones

    There has been much anticipation with the possible return of the Marvel Netflix characters. In December, we broke the news that Charlie Cox would return in Spider-Man: No Way Home in a limited capacity. It opened up the floodgates for others to potentially do the same. It didn’t take long for the next report to follow, as there were rumors that Jessica Jones‘ Krysten Ritter might appear in next year’s She–Hulk.

    Well, if Marvel Studios hopes to introduce the character of Jessica Jones into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems like Ritter would certainly be down to join any project. She shared her enthusiasm to return to the character in an interview with ScreenRant and shared her excitement about potentially returning as the character at some point if she was offered by Marvel Studios.

    I would absolutely just die to play Jessica again. I had the best time doing it and I just love her so much. I’m so proud of that character. Not only because it was like a great role and she’s such a bad-ass, but that character has really resonated with people in a way that I don’t know who else has. Really, really resonated with women and girls, trauma survivors. It’s just so, so big and such a thing I’m so grateful to have been a part of. So if there’s ever an opportunity for me to put on those boots, I will be there in a flash.

    The actress is currently busy advertising Netflix’s Nightbooks horror film. She-Hulk wrapped production some time ago and if she’ll appear, she may have already filmed a few scenes. There’s also the question of what the future has in store for the character if she does end up joining. Diseny+ may become the new home for street-level heroes and we might hopefully get an idea as the franchise expands.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • Marvel Zombies Might Have a Live-Action Future in the MCU Beyond ‘WHAT IF…?’

    Marvel Zombies Might Have a Live-Action Future in the MCU Beyond ‘WHAT IF…?’

    The last episod eof What If..? introduced the world to the first incarnations of zombies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ve actually been a mainstay in the comics since their debut in the Ultimate Fantastic Four run before going on to get their own series. It looks like Marvel Studios might have some plans for the zombified Avengers, as Mark Millar hinted at some live-action plans potentially being in the works in his latest newsletter. The statement “

    […](if my sources are correct) a little live-action Marvel Zombies further down the line, but you never heard that from me.

    Mark Millar

    The episode introducing the zombified versions of our favorite heroes was quite the talk of the town ever since it was first teased. It’s a concept that would deserve more exploration and with the horror theme, they’d make for a perfect enemy for our favorite Sorcerer Supreme to face in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

    There is also the possibility to reintroduce the concept in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The virus spreads through Janet van Dyne in the Quantum Realm, which exists outside of time and the multiverse. Perhaps the crew’s return to face Kang the Conqueror might unleash the virus in another unsuspecting universe. It’s would also be curious to see if this project ends up as an R-rated one, or they go with the more muted PG-13 friendly designs of the animated series. If they truly make a return, it’s going to be an exciting one as Marvel Studios continues to explore new avenues with their franchise.

    Source: Mark Millar via CBR

  • ‘Onyx Equinox’ and ‘Infinity Train’s Sofia Alexander Joins Marvel Studios

    ‘Onyx Equinox’ and ‘Infinity Train’s Sofia Alexander Joins Marvel Studios

    Marvel Studios is continuing to expand their animation team, as the creator of Crunchyroll’s Onyx Equinox, Sofia Alexander, has joined the famous Disney subsidiary. She took to Twitter to announce her joining the ever-expanding team, as the production studio aims to grow its animation team. It’s a perfect time, as we know they want to go beyond just the currently airing What If…? series. She has quite a diverse portfolio which includes the critically acclaimed Infinity Train, Netflix’s Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus film and even Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls reboot. She doesn’t go into detail about what role she’ll have, but it’s certainly a sign they’re already underway on their next animated project.

    Alexander‘s history is quite diverse with different animation styles. We still don’t know a lot about how Marvel Studios aim to expand. We did get the hint that I Am Groot will explore a unique animation style, which adds some hope they won’t restrict to the one utilized in What If..?. There’s also the question if they’ll continue to keep these series in canon or head out into the multiverse to explore unrelated storylines. HBO Max is exploring the younger demographic with their Batman-inspired Batwheels project and we could see Marvel Studios attempt something similar. Who knows if we’ll see different projects for various target audiences that’ll introduce a younger generation into the MCU.

    Source: Twitter, IMDb

  • Abubakr Ali Headlining Netflix’s New Dark Horse Comic Adaptation ‘Grendel’

    Abubakr Ali Headlining Netflix’s New Dark Horse Comic Adaptation ‘Grendel’

    Netflix continues its reign over adaptations, as they just unveiled a series order for Grendel. The Dark Horse Comic will explore the story of Hunter Rose who seeks vengeance in New York’s criminal underworld. Yet, the further down the rabbit hole he goes, he realizes the opportunity of a lifetime. Katy Keene‘s Abubakr Ali will take on the titular role and is the first male Arab Muslim to lead a comic book adaptation. Resident Evil and Supernatural‘s Andrew Dabb will act as showrunner for the series.

    He’s not the only one cast, as he’ll be joined by Jaime Ray Newman, Julian Black Antelope, Madeline Zima, Kevin Corrigan, Emma Ho, Erik Palladino, Britany Allen, and Andy Mientus. The creator of the original comic, Matt Wagner, will executive produce the series together with Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, and Chris Tongue. He had the following to share on the adaptation:

    I couldn’t be more thrilled about the Grendel saga, one of the longest-running independent comics series, finally being translated into live-action for the screen. Under the sharp guidance of showrunner Andrew Dabb, our incredible creative team, sure-to-be stellar cast and Dark Horse Entertainment have teamed with Netflix to produce this provocative adaptation that will bring my characters and concepts to an all new audience and yet still provide excitement and surprises for die-hard fans. I’m especially excited to see Abubakr Ali bring the character of Grendel/Hunter Rose to life — he has the charisma, style and vital edginess that I’ve been envisioning in the role for years.

    Matt Wagner

    Netflix has already produced a variety of projects together with Dark Horse. The Umbrella Academy is probably the most well-known project. They also worked on Jonas Åkerlund‘s Polar and are currently preparing for the release of their animated series Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘SHE-HULK’: Tim Roth Shares Why He Joined the Disney+ Series and Working With Mark Ruffalo

    ‘SHE-HULK’: Tim Roth Shares Why He Joined the Disney+ Series and Working With Mark Ruffalo

    Disney+ continues to expand its Marvel Studios roster throughout the year, as we got our first look at the upcoming Hawkeye series. While it’ll end the year, we know it’s just the beginning of many more projects heading our way. One highlight is the adaptation of She-Hulk, which will be the first Hulk-centric project since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Bruce Banner will pass on the spotlight to his cousin Jennifer Walters, but when Kevin Feige announced Tim Roth‘s return as Abomination, it felt like the MCU is continuing to include more callbacks.

    Roth has been quite busy since working on projects like Twin Peaks, The Hateful Eight, Hardcore Henry, and spearheaded the Lie to Me TV series. In an interview for the upcoming film Sundown, the actor also opened up about the challenges he had returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how Mark Ruffalo helped him find his groove working on the Disney+ series. He also confirms that Marvel Studios approached him to reprise the role.

    I did The Incredible Hulk [playing Emil Blonsky, aka Abomination] years ago, just because I thought my kids would be embarrassed by it. I did it for them and I really enjoyed making it. So when they came to me and said: “We’re adapting the She-Hulk thing. Can you come back as that character again?” I was like, sure. It should be fun. I was very surprised though because it was difficult at first. It was only when Mark Ruffalo came in to shoot his stuff [reprising his role as Bruce Banner] that I went: “Oh, that’s how you do it! With a sense of humor!

    Tim Roth

    It’s crazy to think that at the time, Edward Norton was the Hulk and it’s the actor’s first time working with Ruffalo. Abomination had a minor role during Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings, where Roth did some of the voice work for the character. So, the Diseny+ series might be his first time having to also play the larger-than-life beast. Ruffalo took on motion capturing for the Hulk since he took on the role of Banner in 2012’s Avengers. He even got help from Andy Serkis on Avengers: Age of Ultron. Here’s hoping that the Marvel Studios’ Assembled documentary series offers some insight into their work together.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter, The Direct, CinemaBlend