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  • Oscar Isaac Cast as Moon Knight

    Oscar Isaac Cast as Moon Knight

    Marvel Studios has found their Fist of Khonshu! According to a trade report, Oscar Isaac has been cast as Marc Spector in the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Moon Knight. The casting comes off a weekend where we learned that several Marvel Studios have wrapped production and that others are about to kick into high gear so this news gives us the feeling that we are back in the groove of the old Marvel Studios news cycle again!

    Oscar Isaac Will Return to Star Wars “If I Need Another House or Something” | Vanity Fair

    Earlier today, we shared the names of a couple of actors who may have been up for the role and Isaac, who is 41, is in the same age range as those characters. Isaac is no stranger to Disney, having starred in the 3 newest Star Wars films, and rumors have swirled that they were eager to work with him again. Now it looks like they have found their fit. Isaac is the first member of the cast to be announced and, according to the trade report, the studios is still looking or a director ahead of a possible early 2021 start of production.

     

     

  • ‘TITANS’: First Look at Red Hood Revealed

    ‘TITANS’: First Look at Red Hood Revealed

    With the third season of Titans currently in production, many have been on the edge of their seats waiting to get their first look at Red Hood. After some initial teases, we would finally get the latest persona of Jason Todd on the show. It was revealed back in August at the DC FanDome event by EP Greg Walker. Curran Walter‘s character would be going down a darker path in season 3 and, as such, would don the iconic Red Hood mantle. Many fans were left scratching their heads at this news, as Jason hadn’t experienced anything close to a crowbar from the clown prince of crime at any point in the previous season. This approach has led many to become very cautious about the news.

    Walter‘s Todd will sport an accurate adaption of the Red Hood costume. It will consist of the iconic leather jacket and red bat-symbol across the chest. This look is sure to please fans of the character. The suit is made by the highly talented LJ Supersuit, whose work has shown up on previous seasons of Titans. They have also worked on the costumes of Nightwing and Deathstroke but were also involved with other shows such as Stargirl, Doom Patrol, and The Boys.

    Titans’ third season is still in production. We currently have no release date, as production was significantly delayed due to the ongoing pandemic. It will feature the return of fan-favorites of the shows the main roster including Brenton Thwaites as Nightwing, Anna Diop as Starfire, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, Teagan Croft as Raven, Joshua Orpin as Superboy, and they will be joined by the newest addition, Barbara Gordon. We have no news who will pick up the mantle of Oracle in this show, so as production continues we might get some news on it. Still, getting our first look at Red Hood is certainly going to get people excited for the latest season.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Destruction AllStars’ Delayed Until February as Free PlayStation Plus Release

    ‘Destruction AllStars’ Delayed Until February as Free PlayStation Plus Release

    We are only a few weeks away from the release of the next generation of consoles. I sadly did not get a chance to pre-order it, as they sold out quite quickly. Of course, a new generation of games also comes with a variety of new launch titles. PlayStation 5 has been garnering buzz for the games that will be available with launch, which includes Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon Souls. There is, however, one more major new launch title Destruction AllStars. It was a new entry into the popular Battle Royale genre. It would add the ability to switch between vehicles during combat to add a new spice to the genre. It was planned as a full release with the next-generation price increase.

    In a sudden twist, PlayStation announced that the game will be postponed until February 2021. Not only that, as it will also be available for two months on PlayStation Plus for free. Their official blog points out that they plan to let as many people as possible to experience it. The game will strongly depend on online players, so this might be a hint that the initial sales were lower than expected. The game is a brand-new IP and comes at a high price, which may have deterred some from trying it out.

    It is unsure if the game will be available for full-price after the two-month PS+ period ends. Of course, PlayStation confirmed that people will have their pre-order refunded. We will also get a new trailer next month to showcase what the game has to offer. It is just crazy to see a full retail game being pushed to PS+ on release for free. It must be a heavy blow, but these types of games also live off of microtransactions. Its delay does not bode well for the online game, but we will see in February how it performs.

    Source: PlayStation Blog

  • What I Heard This Week: Two Potential Moon Knights

    What I Heard This Week: Two Potential Moon Knights

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. For instance, on February 19th, I wrote this piece relaying some rumors I’d heard about Marvel Studios updating its Disney Plus slate; the next day, the news broke that a special Disney Plus event would be held in London on March 5th where it is expected that Marvel Studios and Star Wars slates will be updated. I also shared information about Peyton Reed directing episodes of season 2 of The Mandalorian months before he made it official. With productions either underway or ramping up, information is starting to come back in and this time I heard something incredibly interesting about Marvel Studios Moon Knight.

    While rumors have persisted that Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Moon Knight will begin production in 2020, it seems like it’s destined to begin filming in early 2021 alongside She-Hulk. Like She-Hulk, however, it’s also been rumored for some time that the studio has settled on their lead actor. I heard whispers as far back as August that the studio had found their Marc Spector and have done everything I could to try to uncover the identity of the actor but ran into roadblocks at every turn. This weekend, however, a very trusted source shared a couple of names with me that he had heard associated with the role. To be clear, there is no evidence that one of these actors has landed the role and I was unable to confirm with a second source that these two actors were in the mix; however, with the absence of news about who Marvel Studios has chosen, I believe sharing some info about names they MAY have considered could generate some interesting discussion. According to the source, Marvel Studios showed interest in actors Daveed Diggs and Nick Kroll for the role of Marc Spector!

     

     

    Diggs and Kroll both fit the mold while breaking it at the same time. Given the prominent role that Spector’s Jewish background plays in the comics (his father is a rabbi), it’s been the popular opinion that Marvel Studios would seek out a Jewish actor to portray Spector and both Diggs and Kroll fit the bill there. On the other hand, Kroll is known as more of a comedian and it’s been Diggs’ vocal talents that have helped propel him towards stardom, though both actors have moved outside their comfort zones in their recent work. Kroll displayed his dramatic chops in 2018’s Operation Finale and Diggs received rave reviews for his role in the uber smash hit Hamilton, 2018’s Blindspotting, and more recently in the Snowpiercer series, a role in which he’s delved not only into some big-time action sequences but also into a world of loss and violence not altogether different from the one inhabited by Marc Spector.

    Again, there’s no indication that either actor sat down and had discussions with Marvel Studios about the role, much less signed on for it. Realistically, unless one of these actors gets the role, there’ll never be a way to “prove” they ever considered; however, if they were in fact on “the list”, it shows an impressive amount of non-paradigmatic thinking on the part of the Kevin Feige’s trusted casting crew led by Sarah Finn. While I’ve been on board the Shia LeBeouf for Spector hype train (I may have built it, if we’re being honest) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen is a popular fan cast, it seems the studio is at least considering some more “off-beat” actors rather than the “edgy” types we’ve all had in mind. The potential interest in the two also offers a little clarity on an age range for Spector and, like the two actors, it’s a little different than what I was thinking. I was surprised to see that Diggs is 38 (would be 39 by the time production ramped up) and Kroll is 42, so while we’re certainly going to see an origin story, we’re also definitely getting a Moon Knight who has served his time as both a Marine and a merc and who has been through the ringer a bit. With all that in mind, I’m even more excited than ever to find out who Marvel Studios has chosen for the role as my mind has suddenly been opened up to a whole lot more options that I was previously considering!

    Marvel Studios Moon Knight is headed to Disney Plus (eventually).

     

  • Star Wars’ ‘THE MANDALORIAN’: Who is Cobb Vanth?

    Star Wars’ ‘THE MANDALORIAN’: Who is Cobb Vanth?

    Ahead of The Mandalorian’s season 2, we give quick introductions to characters that have yet to debut on a live-action Star Wars project, but that most likely will show up on the Disney+ hit series in the coming weeks.

    Cobb Vanth was a character introduced in the Aftermath trilogy, written by author Chuck Wendig. He has yet to make his official live-action debut, but that seems to be changing with the second season of The Mandalorian. He is a former slave that managed to free himself and rise to the rank of Sheriff in Tatooine’s Freetown (formerly known as Mos Pelgo), even if self-appointed, after the events of Return of the Jedi. He still bears a star-shaped scar on his back, meaning that at some point during his life he was someone else’s property. This makes it obvious that what he had to endure in the past is still very much a part of what drives him even after achieving his freedom.


    During this time, he came in contact with a chest of Mandalorian armor said to have been retrieved from the wreckage of Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge. This heavily implies that this is the armor that once belonged to Boba Fett, since Jabba’s sail barge was destroyed while at the Sarlacc pit, the place we last saw the bounty hunter, with no other Mandalorians in sight. He then committed his life to keep the people of Freetown safe from all outside threats.

    Cobb, unlike Boba, wears said armor not at the bidding of crime lords but on the side of justice, trying to maintain Freetown a lawful place, with crime syndicates at large, while maintaining a somewhat troubled relationship with the Tusken Raiders. In season one’s 5th episode he probably already made an uncredited cameo, when finding the dead body of Fennec Shand.

     

    For more details regarding The Mandalorian season two aswell as other Star Wars projects, check out the dedicated feature focused on the future of the Star Wars Universe.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘HAWKEYE’ to Film at Tyler Perry Studios

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘HAWKEYE’ to Film at Tyler Perry Studios

    Productions on the first two Marvel Studios streaming series, WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, are coming to a close and production on Loki has resumed in Atlanta following the COVID-related hiatus. Up next for the studio are Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye and with Spidey 3 also taking up studio space in Atlanta, Disney found themselves looking for some additional space and have found it! Marvel Studios Hawkeye will be using Tyler Perry’s Atlanta studios when it begins filming later this year.

    Hawkeye Concept Art Reveals First Look at Marvel Disney Plus Show | Collider

    Pre-production on the series has been ongoing for the past month and the studio is currently taking aim at a post-Thanksgiving start of filming and hoping that the series has the same good fortune as the others that recently resumed filming without any further delays. Expected to explore the fallout of the Avenging Archer’s time as Ronin, Hawkeye will introduce Kate Bishop, Maya Lopez and, most importantly, Lucky the Pizza Dog to the MCU and is also rumored to bring in classic Marvel villain Madame Masque. The series is said to be heavily influenced by the award-winning 2012-2015 run on the book by Matt Fraction. Should filming avoid any significant delays, the series could debut in the second half of 2021.

     

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Wraps in Australia as Simu Liu Heads to San Francisco

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Wraps in Australia as Simu Liu Heads to San Francisco

    UPDATE: Turns out SF was just a stop on Liu’s trip home and he will not be filming any scenes there.

    Principal photography on Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings wrapped in Australia over the weekend but it’s possible that the film’s star, Simu Liu, might not be done just yet. Liu recently left Australia and in the video below, taken from his Instagram story, is headed to San Francisco where stunt scenes for the film have been ongoing for the past week.

    The stunt scenes have involved what appears to be a runaway SFT bus headed toward the waterfront near the Lower Nob Hill neighborhood. Over the course of the week, we’ve seen the bus reduced from two cars down to one and cause quite a bit of damage, as seen in the set photos below courtesy of @ShangChiBR:

    It’s possible that Liu is headed to San Francisco to film some pick-ups for the scene as it does seem a little too coincidental that the Toronto resident would happen to end up in the same place as these scenes have been being filmed. We’ll keep our eyes peeled and ears open over the next few days.

    Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is currently set to hit theaters on July 9, 2021.

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ is Square-Enix’s Second-Biggest Digital Launch

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ is Square-Enix’s Second-Biggest Digital Launch

    Marvel’s Avengers player base has been in question for quite some time. Shortly after the launch, it’s Steam player numbers were dwindling. It currently sits at around 2,000 players, which is a far cry from the initial 29K that started playing it. Still, the game was the best seller in the United States during September, even beating out nostalgia-driven releases like Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. It was hinting at the game’s core player base primarily being on console. Now, another release on the numbers may have confirmed that suspicion.

    Crystal Dynamics’ first attempt at a Games-as-a-Server was a hit digitally. According to SuperData, the game has sold 2.2 million digital units in September alone. As such, it is now the second-biggest digital launch for Square-Enix. It is only beat by this year’s Final Fantasy VII Remake. They were even on-par with PlayStation 4-exclusive’s Spider-Man release. They also compare it to the release of other shooters, which puts it between Destiny 2 and Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, which is some great company to be in from a sales perspective.

    These are great numbers if you considering the controversies surrounding the game. Of course, this does not reflect how many people actively are playing the game. It also doesn’t showcase how many purchased skins through microtransactions. Its main selling point was on consoles, being placed behind NBA 2K21 and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2‘s worldwide success. Those are two massive successes of this year, especially NBA 2K21‘s spike after the delayed postseason.

    Tony Hawk‘s remake was also a massive nostalgia-driven sale, as pointed out by SuperData beating out both Crash Bandicoot and Spyro’s remakes. Super Mario 3D All-Stars was also the biggest launch for a Mario-related title on the Switch. So, we should underestimate the success that is Marvel’s Avengers. These sales numbers could bode well for the game once more content is released, as console players can jump in with future additions. Still, it depends on Crystal Dynamics, who have been rather back-and-forth on when we can expect updates.

    Source: Steam Charts, SuperData

  • LEAKED ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Funko Pop Gives a Look at a Masked Zemo

    LEAKED ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Funko Pop Gives a Look at a Masked Zemo

    Marvel Studios The Falcon and The Winter Soldier recently wrapped filming in Prague and is, hopefully, going to stream on Disney Plus sometime in early 2021 but thanks to an eager retailer, we have our first look at a Funko Pop from the series. The Dis.pops Instagram account posted a picture of a previously unseen “Baron Zemo” Funko:

    In the past, Funko Pops have very accurately portrayed Marvel Studios characters and we have no reason to think this would be any different. While it’s great to see Zemo in his trademark mask, we’ve known that was coming since Daniel Bruhl put it on during a video presentation at SDCC ’19. What’s a bit more interesting is that box is labeled with the comic book accurate title of Baron.

    Marvel Officially Reveals Baron Zemo's MCU Mask | Screen Rant

    To this point, the MCU version of Helmut Zemo has been pretty radically different from his comic book counterpart and has not been referred to as “Baron” at any point nor has there been any reference to his father or the hereditary title. For the most part, Funko Pops have been very representative of the changes made to characters whose MCU versions have diverged from the source material, though there are plenty of examples of the collectibles using “comic book” names for film characters who were never referred to by those names on-screen (I’m looking at you Hydro-Man and Molten Man). So while the addition of “Baron” to the name of the character did catch my eye and could portend some interesting revelations about Zemo’s character in the upcoming series, let’s not count our chickens before we punch the gift horse in the mouth on this one.

    The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is (probably) set to stream on Disney Plus in early 2021.

  • Key Takeaways from ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ First Q&A

    Key Takeaways from ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ First Q&A

    Marvel’s Avengers has kicked into gear with some much-needed interaction with the community. It was something that many were asking for, as we ran out of things to do in the game. We got a live-stream with the developers and a rather detailed State of the Game blog entry. It gave us some insight into what happened behind-the-scenes and what the current focus is. This week we were surprised by the announcement of a Q&A. Anyone could drop their question so that the development team would discuss current issues. Not everyone was going to make it in, but they confirmed more are on the way. Here is a quick rundown of the biggest takeaways from Scott Amos‘ first Q&A.

    • Campaign replay has already entered the first testing phase. The biggest challenge is adjusting the individual character’s levels so that they work within the story.
    • They are hard at work trying to fix some of the lingering issues. As such, they are not going to roll out any seasonal content or events for now. Yet, Amos has highlighted that they have thought of it, and they will be adding new pieces of content in the future, such as gear, locations, enemies, villains, and more.

    • The current Tachyon missions will lead to the upcoming AIM Cloning Labs. As such, these two will be the set-up for Kate’s new operation. It will contain brand new cutscenes, adapted locations, and new missions. They do highlight that she will have some unique environments that will act as baby steps.
    • Existing Avengers will receive brand new skill trees, so we will see them evolve. They also teased unique story missions for the characters that continue where we left off.
    • New mechanics are already in development. They teased that the Tachyon rifts are just a simple version of what is coming.
    • Cross-platform is top-of-mind, but they are finalizing cross-generation play with the transition to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

    • They did tackle a question on the current lack of content. It is sadly an issue that they don’t want to give any exact dates. The dev team is trying to avoid rushing the content out. Amos did have the poor wording of “release this calendar year” which doesn’t give us a feeling if Kate will be available in November after all.
    • They teased larger expansions, which will offer new level design, warzones, and biomes. It seems very likely this will be the Black Panther addition.
    • They are working on how they can communicate the road map without setting specific dates. They want to avoid the issue of it getting released prematurely.

    So, I do believe the Q&A did a decent job. They tackled some of the most frequently asked questions and offered some minor glimpses into what is coming. The biggest issue is the Kate timeline. She was going to be released this month but was then “slightly” postponed. Now, they are expanding the deadline until the end of the year. I doubt it’ll be that long, but the wording just wasn’t great to give people hope on an upcoming content drop. Right now, people want content as soon as possible, but we don’t have a feeling for how long the wait will be.

    Also, they didn’t talk much about the AIM Cloning Lab, so we have no idea when that drops. My best guess was next weekend, but it’s hard to say at this point. It is a Q&A to show that they are actively giving feedback to the community, but we do need some kind of plan. I hope that the November War Table video is released earlier than later, as this will be the thing to keep people playing once the holiday gaming markets get filled. I am still excited about how the game will grow, but I do believe we need a clearer picture, as many like to joke, soon.

     

    You can check out the complete Q&A right here:

    Source: YouTube