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First Official ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Trailer Teases the Coming of Apokolips

Yes, it has been a long wait but the official full trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League has finally dropped. As one might suspect, it gives us a good look at the many elements that didn’t make it into the original 2017 release of the film. We get a good look at Darkseid, the new design for Steppenwolf, and so much more. The age of heroes has returned with the brand new trailer that is sure to make a lot of people happy that are highly anticipating our first real look at Snyder‘s original vision of the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM-Bja2Gy04

The trailer offers a lot of the sequences that have been teased ever since it was officially revealed. We get a closer look at our favorite heroes and Superman’s new black suit. It will be interesting to see how different the film will be once it officially releases on HBO MAx next March. Surprisingly, there is no showcase of Martian Manhunter, who has been revealed to be in the film some time ago. So, there is a chance there are still quite a few secrets that Snyder is keeping close to the chest for once it officially releases. At least, we got our first look at the SWAT uniform version of Jared Leto‘s Joker. We only have to wait for a little over a month until it finally is released, so you can be sure we will be checking it out once the Snyder Cut is finally released to the world. Let’s see what the future may hold for the DCEU as it continues to expand and explore new ventures.

Source: Twitter, YouTube

February 14, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cobra Kai’ and ‘Deadpool’ Writers Teaming up for ‘Twisted Metal’

Sony is moving ahead with its adaptation of Playstation’s Twisted Metal with some high profile names behind the project. We have learned that Cobra Kai writer Michael Jonathan Smith will serve as the showrunner and lead writer for the series. Smith will also serve as one of the executive producers for Twisted Metal and will team up with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writing duo behind both Deadpool and Zombieland films!

Smith served as a staff writer for 10 episodes of Cobra Kai during the hit show’s first season before becoming the story editor for the last 2 seasons. He also served as the story editor for the Disney Plus streaming series, Diary of a Future President. Described as a high-octane action-comedy in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Twisted Metal will follow a “motor-mouthed outsider” trying to deliver a mysterious package while avoiding the wild array of marauders and their “vehicles of destruction”, including the famous ice cream truck driven by Sweet Tooth. As reported by the Illuminderi yesterday, Will Arnett has been cast in the role of Sweet Tooth. Arnett is also helping produce the series.

February 13, 2021
‘WandaVision’ Takes the Top Viewing Spot Worldwide

Disney+ has seen astounding growth throughout its first year. It already surpassed 90 million viewers, which was originally meant to be the streaming service’s four-year prediction. It is impressive if you consider that the only real high IP that was provided for the service was The Mandalorian‘s two seasons. Last month’s release of WandaVision did make people wonder if the first Marvel Studios’ original series would continue the service’s growth. Well, according to Parrot Analytics, the series has become the number one series worldwide.

The interesting aspect is that the show didn’t start as the most popular show. It seems the initial three episodes kept it between the seventh and the 35th spot. Once the third episode hit, it skyrocketed up to the third or second spot. Ever since the major twist at the end of the fifth episode, it has officially taken the number one spot and hasn’t left it since the episode aired. It shows the relevance of the weekly release model. Wade Payson-Denney, an analyst of Parrot Analytics, points out the difference between Disney+ and Netflix’s binge strategy:

They really pop up at first but quickly trail off. It’s a quick hit for these streamers. Whereas with weekly release, we see popularity gradually build over time, especially for a show like The Mandalorian and WandaVision

The Mandalorian actually didn’t peak until its season finale, as it just saw a continuous growth since its initial episodes. WandaVision still has three more weeks to go, so it is sure to stick to that top spot before Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes over in March. Netflix’s focus on releasing their shows in one burst means they have an early peak but fizzle out fast. It’ll be interesting to make a comparison between the Marvel shows. The next two shows will have shorter runtimes of six episodes, which may go through a faster viewer cycle. As Payson-Denney points out, these shows remain in the conversation longer and are able to grow their audience as a result of everyone sharing their viewing experiences and theories online. It’ll be interesting to see how far WandaVision goes in the coming weeks.

Source: Forbes

February 13, 2021
Marvel Studios Seeking Mayan Warriors for ‘Black Panther 2’

Marvel Studios has been quite busy since the New Year started. We finally got our first Disney+ show from the studio with WandaVision. There is still a lot of uncertainty if Black Widow will get released in May after being delayed by an entire year. They just released a brand new trailer for Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as other projects are slowly entering production. It looks like one secret Marvel project has started its casting process, as POC Culture has learned that one Marvel Studios film is looking to cast two Mayan characters. They also confirm that this isn’t for a Disney+ series but a film project, a fact we can also verify.

Marvel Studios casting director Sarah Finn is on the search for actors to portray characters named” Zyanya” and “Cadmael” in strong supporting roles. Zyanya gets described as a fierce warrior whose actress should have a background in fighting and dance. The role of Cadmael is seeking someone above six feet tall, who is strong and loyal. There are no established Marvel Comics characters with these names, so as usual these are likely codenames. They are open to accepting actors with North and South American indigenous backgrounds for these roles.

The timing of this casting matches Black Panther 2 upcoming production start in July. There was also the rumor that Namor and Atlantis might play a role in the upcoming sequel, so, we may get to visit other cultures that are hiding from the outside world. Perhaps the history of the underwater city is directly tied to Mayan culture. Either way, it’s great to see the diverse casting continue by Marvel Studios, as they seek to represent indigenous voices in their future projects.

Source: POC Culture

February 13, 2021
RUMOR: ‘Twisted Metal’ Series Casts Will Arnett And Offers Anthony Mackie Lead Role

The ever-expanding world of video game adaptations was revealed to be adding a Twisted Metal series to its ranks nearly two full years ago. The Illuminerdi is now reporting the show has already begun to fill out its cast. It seems that Will Arnett has boarded the project as the voice of Sweet Tooth, the franchise’s mascot, while an offer has been made to Anthony Mackie to take on the lead role of John. The show is based on the combat games of the same name, in which players assume control of modified vehicles and go at each other to deal maximum damage.

The live-action version will be produced by Playstation Productions, and will reportedly maintain the same high-octane energy. It focuses on an outsider, John, who must deliver a package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland in an action comedy adventure. Along the way, he’ll meet dangerous marauders and a trigger-happy car thief, all of whom face the open roads in modified vehicles capable of immense destruction. If you’re a fan of Mad Max, it seems like this may be the show for you.

Sweet Tooth is a crazed clown who drives a deadly ice cream truck and is perhaps the most recognizable figure from the games. Arnett‘s role is described as a “cameo voiceover”, so it’s possible that Sweet Tooth doesn’t play a large role in the story of the series, or just doesn’t do much in the way of conversing. The actor does have a history of voice-only roles, famously lending his pipes to the title characters of The Lego Batman Movie and Netflix’s cult hit Bojack Horseman. As for Mackie, his involvement is supposedly not yet solidified. If he accepts the offer, he would lead the production as John, an original character once previously circled by Kumail Nanjiani. The release date for Twisted Metal has not yet been revealed, but it’s a safe bet it’s a long way off. Sony and Playstation Productions still have the Uncharted film and HBO’s The Last of Us series to get through first.

Source: The Illuminerdi

February 12, 2021
EXCLU: First Plot Details on Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman’s Heroic ‘Secret Headquarters’ Film

Last month, it was announced that directing duo Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman will tackle a new project for Paramount titled Secret Headquarters. It came hot of the heels from their major film release on Netflix, Project Power. They are working on a draft based on an original screenplay by Christopher Yost, whose work includes Thor: Ragnarok and The Mandalorian. So far, the plot details have been kept under wraps, but we were able to get our hands on some exclusive plot details about the upcoming project.

The story is about young Charlie Kincaid, who discovers a secret headquarters under his home that seems to belong to a superhero. He shares it with his friends, and they start to believe that his estranged father might have a secret double life. After this discovery, they have to embrace their inner heroics when a team of mercenaries attacks and they have to keep it safe at all costs. They are currently holding an inclusive casting process for its leads.

It looks like Joost and Schulman will continue focusing on superhero action in their next film. There are no specifics if these children have any powers or abilities, but it does sound like a superhero version of Home Alone. The directors are quite busy, as they are also working on an adaptation of the graphic novel Nemesis and a Mega Man film. Jerry Bruckheimer has also been quite busy bringing back some iconic franchises like Bad Boys and Top Gun. Secret Headquarters has become a top priority for Paramount Pictures, which makes sense after their success with Project Power and we cannot wait to see this unique take on a superhero story.

Source: Deadline

February 12, 2021
‘Wonder Girl’ No Longer In Development at The CW

We recently reported on CW moving forward with a pilot order for a live-action adaptation of Powerpuff Girls. It also included the official order for DC’s Naomi which will be produced by Ava DuVarney and former Arrow executive producer Jill Blankenship. There was one show that was surprisingly missing in the pilot orders. A few months ago, it was announced that a new series based on Wonder Girl was being developed focused on Yara Flor, who was a brand new character that only recently joined DC in their Future State event. It looks like we found out why it was missing, as Dailyn Rodriguez took to Twitter and announced that they passed on the project.

https://twitter.com/dailynrod/status/1360324356354629633?s=21

It is a shame that they aren’t moving forward with their first Latino superhero series. I do wonder if this would’ve been set in the Arrowverse’s future. It would’ve been an interesting way to expand the cast with iconic DC characters while also giving the show a bit more freedom. Hopefully, the world that Rodriguez teases gets another chance at HBO Max. Perhaps the streaming service could offer her the budget to create a live-action Future State adaptation that would make it stand out among other DC shows. CW has become more selective in which shows are moving forward, as various veteran shows like Black Lightning and Supergirl are ending. They even skipped on a sequel series to the show that started it all, as Green Arrow and the Canaries was passed on. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Arrowverse continues in the coming years.

Source: Twitter

February 12, 2021
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Captain Raymond Holt is One of TV’s Best Characters

The tragic news has hit that Brooklyn Nine-Nine will sadly come to an end. Ironically, I am in the middle of binging the show, as it is one of my personal favorite shows. I am disappointed to find out that the show is coming to an end, but it did have an iconic run. There are still ten more episodes to come, so we get a chance to join Peralta, Santiago, Diaz, Jeffords, and so many more. As the title implies, I want to use this chance to talk bout one of my favorite TV characters ever, Captain Raymond Holt. The character is brought to life by Andre Braugher, whose promotion to Captain kickstarted the entire show’s premise. His journey throughout the show has made him, in my opinion, one of the best characters in television history.

Holt’s entire arc is about him growing from what seems to be a robotic and emotionless man to a heartfelt captain. As the seasons go on, he adapts to the crazy antics around him and even starts to join in on them. We get the first glance at his more loose side when he joins in on a Halloween heist. It started to become a seasonal tradition where the antics keep escalating with each one. In a way, the moment we realize how far Holt has come is in the episode “Monster in the Closet”, where he builds a beautiful Balloon Arch. After getting rejected, Stephanie Beatriz‘s Rosa Diaz praises his work, and he shouts full of glee: “Vindication!” Even as he joined in on the insanity, he remained a stoic and leading figure for the team.

What started as a joke character trait became the anchor of the show’s comedy and development. His robotic demeanor played off of the various members in the precinct perfectly so that each member of 99 developed a unique relationship with him. His constant lecturing of Peralta is an ongoing theme of their father-son relationship. There are some heartwarming moments between him and Rosa, as they continuously bond over their avoidance of emotions. We get to watch his guidance of Amy Santiago and Terry Jeffords to push them towards their future’s to becoming captains one day. It’s these personal interactions that define the show and its comedy. The actors embody these characters so well that it feels like a family.

Of course, there is also the aspect of the character that redefined representation in television. His relationship with Marc Evan Jackson‘s Kevin Cozner is probably one of the most adorable couples put to screen. Every episode featuring their banter is a delight. We get a fully realized relationship with ups and downs throughout each season. They bond over their love for plain stones and their challenges being from different worlds. The episode “The Bimbo” was a particular highlight to showcase their relationship and Holt’s development. It also kind of highlights in general what makes this character stand out. We see him change so much throughout the show, and it’s his relationships with everyone else that make him stand out even more. He embodies what Brooklyn Nine-Nine is all about and I wanted to pay tribute to one of my favorite new shows before it enters its final season.

February 12, 2021
Failed Pilot: Looking Back at ‘MARVEL’S MOST WANTED’

After a stand-out performance in one of last year’s best films, the charismatic Delroy Lindo has found himself in the heat of awards season headlines. With his name back in the public eye, I remembered simpler times in Marvel Television history that many seem to have forgotten. I am referring to that lost period in 2015 when Agents of SHIELD was supposed to have a spin-off, with Lindo set as one of the leads. Yes, acclaimed actor and Tony Award-nominated thespian Delroy Lindo once signed the dotted line to become part of the Marvel Universe on ABC. The series was titled Marvel’s Most Wanted, but it never came to fruition. Public interest in the show died almost as soon as news of its demise came to light, but what we learned about the project in the months beforehand indicated it could have been one of the more unique projects in Marvel Television’s repertoire. So, why didn’t the series make it to air? Let’s take a look at the brief history of this unproduced Marvel unicorn.

Background

It was long before The Avengers‘s success, Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb was trying to adapt lesser-known characters to the small screen. Marvel’s Mockingbird was announced at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. They teased it as an Alias rip-off for ABC Family, where Bobbi Morse was a college student who tried to balance her life working for the famous spy organization and going to college. It was eventually dropped in favor of the MCU tie-in SHIELD show, but to make up for it, an older version of Morse was introduced in that show’s second season, played by Adrianne Palicki. Unable to use classic love-interest Clint Barton organically, she had an ex-husband mercenary. It was the obscure comic character Lance Hunter who got reinvented with Nick Blood in the role. The pair become series regulars for two seasons until, still intent on giving Mockingbird her show, Loeb and showrunner Jeffrey Bell had them written off to become the protagonists of their very own spin-off.

Most Wanted

Most Wanted would have been a Mr. and Mrs. Smith-inspired action thriller that saw the duo on the run from a long list of enemies looking to claim a bounty on their heads. At the heart of the story, there would have been the relationship of Morse, a rule-abiding badass, and Hunter, a renegade hotshot, as their semi-romantic dynamic would evolve over multiple seasons. The two would have found themselves in the employ of one Dominic Fortune, a suave rogue adventurer first introduced in Marvel comics in 1975. His wealth of resources would have kept them both alive in exchange for their expertise on assignments. In January of 2016, Marvel TV announced that Lindo will tackle the role of Fortune. A couple of months later, the rest of the cast filled out, with Fernanda Andrade coming on board to play Fortune’s mysterious niece Christina Santos. Oded Fehr joined as the show’s villain, who was teased as a well-known character from the comics. Sadly, his actual role has never been revealed. The pilot even featured a guest appearance from up-and-coming talent Mckenna Grace, who went on to join the MCU as a young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel.

So What Happened?

Although it never aired, Marvel Television did film a pilot. Produced in early 2016, it seemed certain that the project would get a series order, with showrunners Bell and Paul Zbyszewski openly confident in the prospect. However, in May of that year, ABC announced that Most Wanted would not be happening. The news came as a shock to SHIELD fans, who felt cheated out of more time with two fan-favorite characters now permanently expelled from the world of Marvel Television, for what felt like no real reason. Eventually, ABC President Channing Dungey explained the situation with a statement to Slashfilm.

Most Wanted, ultimately at the end of the day, did not feel as strong as some of the other pilots that we shot. We talked about it with Marvel and we all came to an agreement that we want to figure out what the next show is that we do together, is something that we all feel is as creatively strong as it can be.

Most Wanted was given a small chance of survival, as it got shopped around to other networks, but its strong ties to SHIELD prevented any sort of interest from ABC’s competitors. Ultimately, the project didn’t get picked up, and circumstance meant Palicki never got a chance to finish the story of Mockingbird, the character who ironically started it all. Blood did eventually reprise his role as Hunter for a single episode of SHIELD‘s fifth season. Sadly, Lindo and company never got to leave their mark on the MCU as promised, and the rest of us were left wondering if the proposed spin-off would have been as unique as its mother series’ final few seasons.

Sources: Slashfilm, Collider, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, IGN, Slashfilm, Variety, Collider

February 12, 2021
‘WANDAVISION’ is Hexpanding

WandaVision keeps growing in scope with each passing episode. It’s Hexpanding, in a way. Episode 1, where we spent (practically) its entire runtime in “Sitcom Mode”, seems so far away as the show enters its third act firing on all cylinders. It took a while to get to the point where the state of affairs within the show became clear but with Episode 6 ending the way it did, we’ll have an entirely new status quo to look forward to next week. Big changes might be around the corner, changes that can help propel the show to new heights.

The Westview Anomaly grew in size and the S.W.O.R.D. team stationed outside not only wasn’t enough to contain it, but it also managed to get itself trapped within its newfound limits. Wanda was underestimated and the outside world will have to find some new weapons to counteract her Hex. Random armed soldiers won’t do the trick anymore and, being likely that several other New Jersey residents have been engulfed by the anomaly, the event is sure to have been noticed by at least a few of the remaining Avengers, with a special focus on those who are more in touch with such…magical things.

But not all new players might come from the outside. Inside the Hex there are new powers brewing. The twins have finally displayed (some of) their abilities and, keeping in mind how Wanda seems unable to control them at will, they certainly emerge as new players that inevitably might stand either in Wanda’s way or beside her, as she looks to maintain her (each passing day a bit less) fairytale life with Vision. Tommy and Billy, even at such a young age, would surely give whatever S.W.O.R.D. throws at them a run for its money.

Also inside the Hex, we will now find several characters that are now down the rabbit hole. Much like Monica, they might experience light moments of clarity, breaking Wanda’s grasp on them. But this time, especially in Darcy’s case, with an increased amount of knowledge about what is occurring, how it might be happening, and how it might be hindered if not terminated. Darcy has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics, and with the world inside the Hex moving into the 2000s she can probably find the tools that may allow her to fight Wanda’s powers from the inside.

Another new player might show up in the form of Monica’s Aerospace Engineer friend. We’ve already developed a theory on who that might be, but even if that doesn’t pan out, the build-up towards her arrival has been significant to the point that it most likely won’t be just a random character, but instead someone that matters in what the overall story is concerned.

A single episode has now managed to present us with an entirely new playing field. With new players coming into the game from all sides, old players finding themselves in new situations, players switching sides altogether, the power struggle has just begun, and it will be even more fierce than initially expected.

February 12, 2021