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Blue Sky Studios Shut Down by Disney

The studio that brought you the Ice Age franchise is closing its doors. Deadline revealed that Disney is shutting down Blue Sky Studios, which it acquired along with many other assets in the massive Fox takeover just two years ago. The studio was the prime money-maker of Fox’s animated division, having grossed $5.9 billion in total throughout thirteen films since 2002. Blue Sky produced numerous hits alongside the now-iconic Ice Age films, such as the Robin Williams vehicle Robots and the high-flying Rio. They also adapted critically-acclaimed classic properties like Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! and The Peanuts Movie. The reason behind the closure is the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, with losses from their theme park lockdowns and theater closure hindering the corporation’s ability to maintain three animation studios at once. Disney is instead opting to maintain funding for their mainstays, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The entire Blue Sky library will remain a part of the Disney experience, and the previously-announced Ice Age series for Disney+ is expected to arrive. However, the studio’s next film, Nimona, a magic-based medieval fairy tale about a shape-shifting boy who partners with a mad scientist to topple an evil ruler, will halt production. It still required ten more months to finish. Tragically, the demise of Blue Sky will lead to the loss of 450 jobs. Deadline does report that Disney will work with the former employees to find positions at other internal studios. The world is sure to miss the storytelling prowess of Blue Sky and the diversity that another animation studio would bring to the table. The work of the company played a vital role in many childhoods. Sadly, the latest release of the Tom Holland-led Spies in Disguise failed to make the impact the company was hoping for. Here’s hoping that the workers impacted by the closure will find ample opportunity in their future elsewhere. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors and that they can find something soon.

Source: Deadline

February 9, 2021
CW Moves Forward With ‘Powerpuff Girls’ Live-Action Series

It looks like The CW has found its next hit franchise to adapt, as Variety has just revealed they ordered a pilot for a live-action adaptation of Powerpuff Girls. We first heard of its development around six months ago, where it was revealed that CW regular Greg Berlanti and his team from Berlanti Productions are developing a series around the famous Cartoon Network franchise. Their success in adapting Riverdale may have sparked an interest to explore the story of three crime-fighting sisters in their later years. It comes at the worst time, as the world needs them more than ever before. The series joins other orders, such as a remake of USA Network’s The 4400, DC’s Naomi, and an untitled religious dramedy.

It will be based on the characters from the original animated series, which ran for six seasons from 1998 until 2005 before getting a reboot in 2016. This live-action adaptation will be written by Heather Regnier and Diablo Cody. The series will follow the trio in their early twenties, as they resent their childhood for wasting it on crime-fighting. So far, the series has only gotten a pilot, which means that CW still has to sign off on the series before ordering it to series.

It will be interesting to see how they adapt this iconic franchise. There is a chance it might be part of the HBO Max deal, as the production budget might rival Superman & Lois given the wide range of superheroic abilities the trio wields. There is also the question if they will include iconic characters from the series like Mojo Jojo or HIM, who might also require some heavy effects work. For now, we can only wait and see how the pilot turns out and if CW is interested in giving this adaptation a shot. It also opens up the question of which other Cartoon Network shows might be up next for a live-action adapation.

Source: Variety, Deadline

February 9, 2021
‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’: First Look at Jared Leto’s Joker Released

Zack Snyders Justice League will see the return of many familiar faces, whether that be the League themselves or the new gods of Apokolips. Everyone’s sure to know one of the many faces that will show up throughout the film. A more controversial addition to the table is Jared Leto, who will reprise his role as the clown prince of crime. This inclusion marks his first return after his appearance in 2016’s Suicide Squad. He was notably absent from Birds of Prey and The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, in which musical artist Johnny Goth doubled for the character. It looks like Zack Snyder is going to explore a very unique version of Leto‘s Joker, which he revealed in Vanity Fair to the public, as we countdown to the March release.

The black-and-white image reveals that he doesn’t have the controversial tattoos from Suicide Squad. The director did confirm that we will also get a version of the character covered in police badges, which he collected as trophies, at some point in the film. This version of the character seems more road-worn. Snyder did reveal that he will play an essential part in a sequence featuring Ben Affleck‘s Batman. Justice League aims to build upon the various plot threads set-up in Batman v. Superman. He also pointed out that the Joker’s inclusion will add to the backstory involving Robin. We still never got any details on what transpired, so it’ll be interesting to get some more information on the event. We are only a few weeks away from the release, so here’s hoping we get more reveals.

Source: Vanity Fair

February 9, 2021
Jac Schaeffer Talks Evan Peters Inclusion in ‘WandaVision’

WandaVision has been an insane ride. Its sitcom-based premise was strange enough, but it started to throw in one twist after another. The fifth episode probably gave us the biggest surprise yet, as Wanda welcomed her brother Pietro back to the living. While it did turn out to be Quicksilver, it wasn’t Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Knocking on Westview’s door was none-other than Evan Peters. Yes, the very same that played the iconic character in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise. It was also one of the site’s biggest stories written by Charles Murphy some time ago, which finally got confirmed.

The fifth episode’s title: “On A Very Special Episode…” was certainly fitting. Luckily, everyone who is still confused about the reveal and what it might mean, head writer Jac Schaeffer offered some details on how they managed to cast him.

This show is such a mind scramble, and because it’s working on so many levels, and there’s so many notions of what’s real and what’s not, and performance, and casting, and audience, and fandom, and all of that, we just thought it would be the biggest thrill to bring Evan over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We thought like, how do we give him this entrance, and then enjoy that, and then make it crazy? And we had long had the idea of the trope of the brother, or the relative, or whoever comes to town and like, stirs things up with the family — that sitcom trope.

The idea came from Schaeffer and executive producer Mary Livanos, who wanted to make it a reality. His inclusion was at a perfect time, as Wanda and Vision were at a standstill. They truly utilized the 80s cliché to its fullest potential. Of course, Peters brought along an accent to make the trope fully come to life. She also discusses how difficult it was for his inclusion to make sense within the larger story that is getting told. They worried how organic it would be, especially as they had so many different ideas already bouncing around. They confirmed that Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige was adamant that his inclusion had a reason. Hopefully, it will play out in the upcoming episodes. It also seems that Peters was excited to join the MCU, as we are to see what his character’s inclusion might be setting up for the franchise’s future.

Source: Marvel

February 8, 2021
‘WandaVision’s Six Infinity Ads: Predicting the Final Two

WandaVision is a unique experience in comparison to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It embraces its nature as a mystery show by continuing to confuse us with each new episode. There are many unanswered questions so far, but one stands out. Every sitcom-themed episode featured an advertisement that seemed connected to a traumatic experience in Wanda’s life. Until now, most of us focused on trying to figure out who the couple is that keeps reappearing. Current theories still point to them being Wanda’s parents, but it tends to overshadow one aspect of the ads. The latest ad features a paper towel brand named Lagos that fixes problems one didn’t mean to do. It reveals a rather interesting red liquid that, at first, seems mainly as a pun on spilling blood due to the incident. Yet, if we look at the other ads, you start to notice a pattern. We have the blue square of the HYDRA soap, the blinking light on the toaster, and the watch’s recurring reference to time. Each ad seems to represent an Infinity Stone.

Now, I am not the only one to notice this pattern. ComicBook.com’s Adam Barnhardt also noticed the trend in an article you can check out here. The before-mentioned red liquid is most likely Thor: The Dark World‘s Aether. Episode 3 introduces a blue-shaped square that is the Tesseract. Of course, the watch is connected to the Time Stone even if its iconic green color was absent. The toaster most likely builds on the joke from Tom King‘s The Vision run, where Wanda describes the poor Synthezoid as such. It seems to have a face with a blinking light where its forehead is, which creates the connection to the mind stone. As such, there are two more stones left that have yet to get showcased. It also matches that the next two episodes may be the last sitcom-based stories, as we haven’t explored the 90s or 2000s yet.

Let’s start with how the Power Stone may appear in an upcoming ad. Now, each advertisement has been pretty close to the era they represent. So, we need to think about a product that would best personify the purple rock. There is the possibility they could go down the route of the famous “A diamond is forever” commercial with the stone acting as jewelry. Yet, it feels like there is no actual connection to the stone’s ability. It’s about giving people power or even strength beyond human comprehension. It also needs to connect to an event that is traumatic for Wanda. Lagos represented Captain America: Civil War. So, the next installment would be Avengers: Infinity War. We all know what happened in that event, so it would be connected to head pains. What if the Power Stone is a purple pill that echoes the 1994 ad of Extra Strenght Tylenol?

Now, there is only the Soul Stone left. It is the toughest one to connect, as the whole concept of its abilities is uncertain. To some degree, I wonder if it may not get an ad, but rather a reference to the events that Thanos went through. So far, it seems plausible that Wanda’s abilities are connected to each one of the stones. She might be the first to introduce us to what it can do, as it could explain how Vision has returned from the dead and why we see her parents in the ads if that theory turns out to be true. I was doing some research on advertisements of the early 2000s, so there are, in my opinion, plenty of hilarious potential ways it may appear. Remember the strange hair-raiser Bumpit? It would certainly be hilarious to see that iconic stone of unlimited power is used to raise someone’s hair. Maybe it is in the form of something that warms the soul like a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup from Campbells. Its strong focus on family-friendly advertisements would make it the perfect choice. It would be hilarious if they recreate the mysterious Soul World showcased in Infinity War, but the water is chicken noodle soup. That might not be likely, but we’ll see if the next advertisement has something purple or orange to confirm this theory.

Source: Comic Book, YouTube (Tylenol ad), YouTube (Campbells)

February 8, 2021
Eli Roth’s ‘Borderlands’ Adds Jamie Lee Curtis

Just two weeks ago, Kevin Hart joined the upcoming production of Borderlands in the role of Soldier Roland. He joins Cate Blanchett, who will take on the role of thief Lilith. It looks like they aren’t done yet, as Collider got the exclusive news that Jamie Lee Curtis will also be joining the production in the role of Dr. Patricia Tannis. She is certainly an interesting choice in the role of the non-playable character from Borderlands 2 and its sequel. It seems that they decided to age up the character. Her role could be quite similar to the games, as she might play a supporting role that sends out the main characters on their quest. It is uncertain if Blanchett‘s Lilith might be the main focus, or it will be closer to an ensemble film.

Curtis has been seeing a return to form with her return to the iconic 1978 role of Laurie Strode in the 2018 Halloween reboot. She also gave a fantastic performance in Knives Out. She is set to return to the silver screen in A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as the horror sequel Halloween Kills. The latter got delayed due to the ongoing pandemic with a threequel already planned for 2022. Borderlands will be directed by Eli Roth based on a script by Craig Mazin. Their shared horror roots are certainly an exciting tease for what we may expect from this film. It will get quite gory with the teased R-rating. Fans of the game might expect a very unique interpretation of the franchise that Gearbox launched back in 2009.

Source: Collider

February 8, 2021
Murphy’s Law: Episode 80

After a week off, Charles and Charles are back to talk about those awesome Thor set pics, Blade finding a writer and Matrix: Resurrections.

February 8, 2021
Sam and Bucky are Back in Action in New ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLIDER’ Trailer

Marvel Studios The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is under 6 weeks away from debuting on Disney Plus and they used the big stage of Super Bowl LV to give us a new look at the action-packed streaming series.

Our first look at footage from the series came during the 2020 Super Bowl and we saw the first full trailer just about 2 months ago but this new trailer REALLY puts the focus on Sam and Bucky’s relationship and gives us our first idea about what it is Zemo is up to!

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to begin streaming on Disney Plus on March 19th.

February 7, 2021
‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Super Bowl Spot Released

We have been anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl. Some are excited to see their favorite team win, while some are excited for the various trailer that teases what we can expect in the rest of the year. Among them, we got a brand new trailer for Disney’s next major animated film, Raya and the Last Dragon. It is the perfect opportunity to test out Disney’s next attempt at testing their Premier Access business model. It offers a closer look at Awkwafina‘s dragon Sisu.

https://twitter.com/DisneyRaya/status/1358558363315957761

The film still looks visually stunning, and I cannot wait to check it out when it releases in March. Awkwafina is joined by Kelly Marie Tran, who plays the role of the titular heroine Raya. The last trailer teased that she will be getting a small team together to face an ancient evil that returned after a 500-year slumber. The cast consists of Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, and so many more. The film will be available for $29.99 when it releases on March 5th.

Its success may define how Disney handles the rest of its 2021 release slate. We’ve already seen many others postpone their films, or completely embrace a simultaneous digital release. Warner Bros. certailny left an impact when they decided before the year started that they will utilize HBO Max alongside every release. No matter what they decide to do, Raya and the Last Dragon will be an essential film to keep an eye on. With those visuals, it certainly is a must-watch.

Source: Twitter

February 7, 2021
The New Normal For MCU Solo Movies
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland recently referred to the upcoming third film in the series as, “the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made”. I’m not sure if that’s an accurate statement; the movie is sure to be ambitious, but if the rumors about this film are true it’s hard to think of the movie as a “standalone” picture.

Marvel Studios, like many other franchises, has a tendency to take what fans love about their projects and run with it. Usually they do a better job of it than most; audiences loved the comedy in Guardians of the Galaxy? Let’s bring in more to the other sub-franchises! New markets successfully tapped into with Black Panther and Captain Marvel? Let’s make future content even more diverse and inclusive!

If one aspect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has stood out above all else, it’s the interconnectivity of it all. The Avengers rocked the world in 2012 and the blockbuster industry has never been the same since. But it was 2016’s Captain America: Civil War that pushed this concept to a whole new level; here was a “Captain America” movie that not only spent nearly equal time focusing on Iron Man, but also featured the majority of the other Earth-based heroes we’d been introduced to in the eight years since the MCU was born, even serving as the introduction to multiple new ones who would soon go on to star in their own solo flicks.

They did something similar in 2017 with Thor: Ragnarok. That film didn’t just feature the two Avengers who weren’t present in Civil War, but included a one-scene appearance from Doctor Strange, who’d made his MCU debut in his first solo movie the previous year. Of course, since then, Marvel Studios has put out even more ambitious crossovers (and become even more popular as a franchise) with the third and fourth Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame…and it’s likely that the scale and success of those movies is what has the studio returning to the crossover-in-a-solo-vehicle model for so many Phase 4 projects.

Looking at the film slate alone, at least four of the upcoming solo movies will feature at least one other character who has headlined their own film or Disney+ series:
- The untitled third Spider-Man movie will feature Doctor Strange (and most likely a slew of characters from previous Spidey movie franchises)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will feature Scarlet Witch
- Thor: Love and Thunder will feature (most of) the Guardians of the Galaxy
- Captain Marvel 2 will feature Ms. Marvel
And that’s not even counting characters who have made major appearances in other franchises, like Monica Rambeau, or may do so in the future, like Miss America. It’s pretty obvious that this style of team-up has become the norm for MCU solo movies…or more specifically, MCU solo sequels.

All of the films on the above list will be either the second, third, or fourth solo outing for the characters in question. While we haven’t seen any promotional clips from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings or Eternals quite yet, both of those films seem to be relatively insular, without a lot of huge nods to previous MCU projects, at least not on the level of the ones listed above.

This is, potentially, very telling of how Marvel Studios plans to balance maintaining audience interest while still being able to bring in new fans, and is likely why the goal seems to be for Marvel Studios to introduce at least one new franchise per year. It appears to be a safe bet that new solo movies starring characters who have yet to have one will be the prime “entry points” for those new to the MCU. Even heroes like Spider-Man and Black Panthers who made their MCU debuts in someone else’s movie had solo films that could be understood by newcomers, though the Tony Stark/Pepper Potts engagement stuff at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming may have been a bit weird for those not “in the know”.

And once a new hero’s first outing has hooked in those new fans? Anything is fair game. They’re free (at the studio’s discretion) to be crossed over with seemingly any other character and appear in pretty much any MCU project going forward. There isn’t really a safety net of a middle area to bridge the two together, it’s zero-to-100.

We’ve seen this work out when it comes to a singular medium (think of the people who saw Black Panther as their first Marvel movie and a few months later cheered when Wakanda was first shown in Avengers: Infinity War) but it might be trickier to achieve when working across multiple mediums. I have a feeling Marvel’s plan there is to not worry about having to hand-hold the audience when it comes to the Disney+ stuff, except for when introducing a new character; however, they’ll probably be willing to play catch-up for said projects in the movies when need be, the assumption being everyone watching the Disney+ series has seen the films, but the same might not be true the other way around.

This is probably why the scene of Sam Wilson being given the Captain America shield was included in Avengers: Endgame; even though he’s not technically “Captain America” right now, he more than likely will be by the end of the series, and this scene gives the movie-only viewers the context needed to understand why he’ll have taken on the mantle in later big-screen projects. Disney+ debut characters like Ms. Marvel will probably require a bit more catch-up work when they debut in films, but Marvel surely has a plan for this and things will hopefully go smoothly in that regard.

So there we go. There will probably be three “tiers” of MCU movies going forward: solo debuts largely focusing on a single character (or “always-together” group like the Guardians), “solo” sequels featuring team-ups between a few major heroes, and Avengers-level events. Sequels used to be more on a similar level to debut films, but after several aforementioned Phase 3 projects and a wider gap in time between Avengers movies than fans have grown accustomed to, Marvel knows that typical comic book movies aren’t always going to cut it anymore: now that fans have gotten a taste of what’s possible in terms of interaction between their favorite superheroes, they want more. And thus, the bar for “regular” has been raised.
February 7, 2021