Premiere: TBD
In March 2024, THR reported that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow writer Ana Nogueira was drafting a script of Teen Titans for a live-action film.
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RUMOR: ‘The Batman Part II’ Finds Its Two-Face
It’s hard to imagine a live-action Batman film franchise without Harvey Dent. Indeed, iterations of the character have already inhabited the Burton-verse and Nolan-verse, helping the charismatic wild card join the Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin and Catwoman as household names among Batman’s rogues gallery. Rumors have persisted that Matt Reeves‘ The Batman Part II might feature the character and given the Gotham created by Reeves in 2022’s The Batman it’s easy to imagine Dent could play an integral role in the sequel. Now a rumor from an unfamiliar and unproven source suggests that DC Studios has found their man to fill the Elseworld’s role.
A quick check of IMDB shows that a stunt double and a personal assistant for Boyd Holbrook are listed for The Batman Part II. According to Medium’s “source”, Holbrook has joined the cast as Harvey Dent, though they mention that DC has declined to comment. Of course, taken by itself, IMDB can be misleading if not entirely unreliable, and time will bear out the reliability of Medium as a source for breaking news.
Previously, Josh Hartnett and Joel Edgerton had been rumored to be up for the role of Harvey Dent. With the release date having recently been moved forward a year to October 2, 2026, it’s possible that both of those of actors became unavailable, forcing DC to go looking for someone else to fill the role. According to Medium, that same release date shift allowed Holbrook’s schedule to be cleared up for the role.
Source: Medium
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‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Promo Art Teases Some Absurd–and Comic Accurate–Variants
It’s no secret that a good portion of Marvel Studios Deadpool and Wolverine will take place in The Void. Introduced in Season 1 of Loki, The Void is a massive space located at the end of time where people, places and things end up when they or their timelines are pruned by the TVA. It’s a fun concept that allowed for the Law of Conservation of Mass to remain intact even in a wild sci-fi romp like Loki; however, once pruned Variants end up there, they have to contend with the trans-temporal entity Alioth, a construct of Kang’s who feasts on those sent to The Void. It’s a scary place to be sure but it’s definitely survivable and it looks as though Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce a slew of Variants who have done just that. Now, some new promo art for the film gives a pretty clear picture of who some of the Variants who occupy the Void will be.
A piece of art making its way around social media found an interesting way to tease five total Deadpool Variants, including three that haven’t been revealed until now.
Embedded in the classic “SNIKT” of Wolverine, a baby version of Wade Wilson and Variants, Kidpool, Deadpool, Dogpool and Headpool can be seen, left to right. Those are certainly not the only Variants we’ll see in the movie (Lady Deadpool is noticeably absent) but it does seem as though Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce some version of the Deadpool Corps. In the comics, the Deadpool Corps was a team of alternate-universe versions of Deadpool that assembled to take on a multiversal threat. That sounds pretty much what they’re likely to do in Deadpool and Wolverine where they will have to take on, Cassandra Nova, the deranged twin of Charles Xavier.
Deadpool and Wolverine is set to hit theaters on July 26th!
Source: X
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‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Confirmed as Sacred Timeline Canon, May Feature an Iron Fist
With praise gushing forth from all corners of the internet for X-Men ’97, Marvel Animation finds itself in the catbird seat. Following an improved second season of What If…?, X-Men ’97 is the first of three animated series slated to stream on Disney Plus in 2024 and has fans buzzing about the possibility that Marvel Studios May not be dead after all.
Though no release date has been revealed yet, Eyes of Wakanda has already caught the attention of fans. First announced at the What If…? Season 2 premiere, the animated series produced by Ryan Coogler will tell the story of “brave warriors” who “throughout Wakandan history have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts.” Other than that, little was know about the show but that’s changed now thanks to Marvel exec Brad Winderbaum.
In am interview with Men’s Health, Winderbaum revealed quite a bit of new information about the series, including where it fits into the sometimes confusing Multiversal continuity. According to Winderbaum, Eyes of Wakanda “fits right into our sacred MCU timeline continuity.” Winderbaum also confirmed that the series had been directed by Todd Harris which also seems to have confirmed an interesting rumor about the series.
In 2022, we learned that Harris was creating an animated series about “a secret society of humanoid aliens living on earth dispatches a team of spies across the world to collect a series of missing artifacts that threaten to influence mankind…” and that the series would feature a Mandarin-speaking character named “Jin.” The strong similarities between the official description of Eyes of Wakanda and the original description of Harris‘ show are obvious and further information about Jin seems to mesh nicely with a very interesting rumor about Eyes of Wakanda.
Scooper CWGST shared a rumor that Eyes of Wakanda would introduce an Iron Fist by the name of Janora, an original character created just for the show, who would be working with a Wakanda named Basha. This lines up nicely with the information we shared in 2022 that indicated “Jin” was a “Chinese warrior” and “perhaps the best trained martial artist in the world.” Her story begins, it seems, when another character named “Bosco” steals one of the series’ MacGuffin artifacts. Connect the dots and it sounds like Basha may head to K’un Lun to retrieve some type of Vibranium artifact and then find himself at odds with Janora.
Though we can’t confirm the connection, combined with our old Connecting Imaginary Dots piece,the new information seems to support the rumor that Eyes of Wakanda will feature an Iron Fist. Should it all work out, that Iron Fist will show up in the third episode of the series, as per the original information. Either way, it sounds like Eyes of Wakanda is lining up to be a blast!
Source: Men’s Health
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‘The Acolyte’: Who Is Jodie Turner-Smith’s Mother Aniseya?
The first trailer for Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars streaming series, The Acolyte, has put up some eye-popping numbers, tallying over 53 million views in its first 24 hours online, a record for a Star Wars Disney Plus series. The Acolyte will be the first live-action series set during the High Republic era and will introduce audiences to an entirely new cast of characters. That’s not to say there won’t be some winks and nods to the Skywalker Saga but more than any other project so far, The Acolyte seems poised to stand on its own merits, taking place roughly a century before the events of The Phantom Menace.
Series creator Leslye Headland was given a unique opportunity to shape the tail end of the era that precedes the Fall of the Jedi and if the trailer is a fair representation of the series, it seems she’s populated it with some interesting new characters. One such original character that has caught the attention of many is Jodie Turner-Smith‘s Mother Aniseya. Described by StarWars.com as “the leader of a coven of Witches who value their independence and the preservation of their beliefs and powers,” Aniseya’s role in the series has largely been kept secret. Who is Mother Aniseya and what ties might she have to pre-existing Star Wars canon? While we can’t supply any certain answers, we have a few ideas about the character’s true nature.
(Center): Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. Though The Acolyte will be the first live-action depiction of the High Republic era, spanning from roughly 500 BBY until 82 BBY, Lucasfilm has already done a great deal of table setting through its publishing initiative. Through novels and comic books published by Marvel and Dark Horse, the glory days of the Republic and its expansion into the Outer Rim, have been chronicled to some extent. The Acolyte is set toward the end of the High Republic and the markers we do have for it would suggest it takes place around 132 BBY. For reference, Yoda would be 764 years old at that time and Sleepy Sheev Palpatine won’t be born for another 48 years. This time is truly a blank slate in terms of narrative possibilities…but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of possible connections to events, people and places that existed both before and after 132 BBY.
The most intriguing revelation about Turner-Smith’s character is that she bears the title of Mother. Revealing Aniseya as a Mother and the leader of a coven of witches seems like an almost intentional nod to the Nighsisters of Dathomir; however, given what’s known about the Nightsisters, it seems unlikely that Aniseya is that kind of witch. Of course, the Nightsisters weren’t the only clan of witches native to Dathomir which allows for the potential that Aniseya may be the Mother of one of the similarly force-sensitive clans. The Blue Coral Diver Clan, the Singing Mountain Clan and the Howling Crag Clan have all been written into canon without any significant backstories. Aniseya may be the Mother of a witch coven from one of these clans that relocated from Dathomir sometime after its colonization.
Clues to another (and perhaps more intriguing) possibility could be found in the pages of a novel and comic books from Phase II of The High Republic publishing initiative. Set roughly 350 years before The Acolyte, the Phase II novel The High Republic: Path of Deceit introduces a group called the Path of the Open Hand. A cult whose members “believe the Force is owned by no one, and not to be wielded in the manner of the Jedi Order,” the Open Hand was led by Elecia Zeveron, known as “The Mother.” Zeveron taught her extremists that the use of the Force by the Jedi was responsible for death across the galaxy. Though they were defeated by the Jedi during a battle known as the Night of Sorrows, remnants of the Path founded both the Nihil and an offshoot known as the Elders of the Path.
The Nihil were one of the great threats to the Jedi during the High Republic era but were no longer at the height of their power by 200 BBY. Though they still existed until after the Battle of Yavin, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat by 132 BBY and nothing in the trailer for The Acolyte hints at their inclusion. The Elders of the Path, however, do have some interesting connections to what’s known about The Acolyte. One of the core beliefs of the Elders of the Path is that the Force should not be used but rather appreciated at a distance, something the elders of the group teach their students, known as…acolytes. This belief is at least partially reflected in Aniseya’s words in the trailer when she explains that whatever it is she’s being questioned about, likely by the group of Jedi she’s seen interacting with,“isn’t about good or bad. This is about power, and who is allowed to use it.”
Still, Ainseya remains almost completely shrouded in mystery. If Turner-Smith is to be believed, the character is no Jedi and she has no narrative ties to Amandla Stenberg‘s Mae, which probably means she’s also not a Sith. However, Turner-Smith has revealed that her character does weild the Force which puts her at least partially at odds with the the original doctrine of the Path. So while Aniseya may not be an Elder, there’s plenty of room for a branch of a cult to branch out further and for Mother Aniseya to pick up the mission of Order of the Path to free the Force from the Jedi. Of course, as is true any time one travels too far down the rabbit hole of speculation, one likely wanders further from the truth than intended and so it’s much more likely that Aniseya’s true nature is something far different than any of the guesses laid out above. Either way, there’s still quite some time before we find out as The Acolyte doesn’t hit Disney Plus until June 4th.
Source: Star Wars
About Star Wars: The Acolyte
In Star Wars: The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie TurnerSmith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers. Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim and Rob Bredow are the producers.
Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.
Award-winning composer Michael Abels, known for his work on Get Out and Us, scored Star Wars: The Acolyte. -
REVIEW: ‘X-Men ’97’
It’s been said that nostalgia is a hell of a drug. The sentimental longing for an overidealized past can all but rewrite reality within our minds, amplifying our perception of the emotional impact of past experiences and manifesting something that never truly existed in the way we remember it. It’s a road we’ve all traveled and the longer we stay on it, the further we get from the true nature of the original experience. Unlike fortune, nostalgia’s no fickle wench: it provides exactly what we want it to every time.
Revisiting that imaginary hallowed ground simply reinforces whatever good feeling we’re searching for and is the source of every grumpy old man telling a young buck that “they don’t make them like they used to.” However, as it turns out, they do indeed make them like they used to and, every so often, even better. Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 stands as an exemplar of how studios can revisit known and even beloved quantities while finding something that may not have been there originally. Whether you grew up with X-Men: The Animated Series or have never seen an episode of the ’90s classic, X-Men ’97 is about to become your favorite Saturday morning cartoon.
(L-R): Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Gambit (voiced by AJ LaCascio), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), and Beast (voiced by George Buza) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. Give Marvel Studios mad props. They smartly leaned heavily into ’90s nostalgia in promoting X-Men ’97, adeptly using the dope theme song from X-Men: The Animated Series and some sweet old-school posters to provide O.G. fans with a phat dopamine rush that reminded them just how off the hook chillin’ on Saturday mornings used to be. Back in the day, X-Men: The Animated Series was the bomb…or was it? Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.
For a nearly unquantifiable portion of a generation, X-Men: The Animated Series was the gateway drug into the uncanny world of mutant heroes and villains created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Over 76 episodes, the series–heavily inspired by Chris Claremont’s work with the characters in the pages of Marvel Comics–became a frenetic highlight reel of the X-Men’s greatest hits. Without ever reading an X-Men comic, fans of the show could name a dozen X-Men, define an Omega mutant and summarize some of Marvel Comics’ greatest X-Men runs. Just as Claremont’s life-saving run on the Uncanny X-Men concluded, X-Men: The Animated Series cemented the characters in the era’s zeitgeist. The serendipitous multimedia symbiosis of page and animation no doubt led Fox to the inevitable conclusion that the X-Men would be a hit on the big screen and thus, the X-Men became embedded in pop culture, where they have firmly remained over 30 years later. But if the first three episodes of X-Men ’97 reveal anything, they reveal just how weak our minds can be when challenged by the nostalgia for better days.
(L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. If you believe yourself a fan of X-Men: The Animated Series, challenge yourself to a modern-day rewatch. Unlike the finest of wines, the series struggles to mature with its audience, limited not only by the technology of its time but also by the sensibilities of an era gone by. And that’s just fine and totally fair…however, as Marvel Animation rolls out a brand new series set in that bygone era, it absolutely needs to be fit enough to survive the onslaught of modern fans. Showrunner Beau DeMayo aggressively relieves the evolutionary force of selective pressure by slightly changing the DNA of the series to favorably adapt to the modern environment in which it will be judged. What emerges is a new generation more fit than its predecessor on nearly every measurable standard.
X-Men ’97 veraciously maintains the feverish pace of its progenitor. The first three episodes of the season cover more than 20 issues of Claremont’s run on Uncanny and resolve an eight-month line-wide comic run in 30 minutes. However, it’s here where a reflective member of the audience should stop, drop and roll back into common sense: regardless of your modern sensibilities, X-Men: The Animated Series was created to entertain children. In this sense, compared to offerings such as Teen Titans Go!, X-Men ’97 is much more Hawthorne than Hemingway.
(L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), and Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. The first three episodes offer plenty of rawhide upon which to chew. Is Marvel Animation starting up its own connected universe? The Daily Bugle provides plenty of opportunities to believe so. Despite the statement that X-Men ’97 is doing its own thing, does the appearance of WHiH News portend some connection to the live-action MCU and the Multiverse Saga? When dealing with the timey-wimey concepts that are part and parcel of the X-Men, could the crazy sumbitches at Marvel Studios be planning to capitalize on nostalgia in a way ’90s kids could never have dreamt of by bringing the team that brought X-Men into pop culture back into pop culture in an all-new, all-different millennium?
As of March 2024, there are no answers to those questions; however, in an ever-expanding wilderness of superhero projects, the fitness of X-Men ’97 is not dependent on the audience’s familiarity with the MCU. Should you have watched all 76 episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series once, twice or nonce, you’ll find yourself fully engaged in the story of Cyclops, Jean and the team as they learn to move forward in the absence of Charles Xavier who, by the way, “died” in Season 5, Episode 10 of X-Men: The Animated Series which aired in 1996. Yet somehow, some way, DeMayo and his writers’ room have found common ground for those who saw Charles “die” with those who only know who Charles is from Logan or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As Marvel Studios rightfully finds itself under fire, X-Men ’97 could ironically raise the roof of what fans consider as the shit while still being enjoyable for trifling busters.
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‘The Acolyte’ Provides the First Look at the High Republic Era
As Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker, before the formation of the Empire, the Jedi Knights served as the “guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic” for “over a thousand generations.” While the order ultimately fell apart, they had a great run but fans of the galaxy far, far away have never seen them at their peak.
While the prequels at least showed the order intact and in action, their hubris has already cemented their downfall. What’s been seen onscreen so far, in both films and series, is an order far removed from the glory days of the Jedi, which is why there’s been some serious excitement brewing around Lucasfilm’s latest D+ streaming series, The Acolyte. For the first time, fans will see the order outside of the Skywalker Saga timeline, providing some interesting opportunities to compare and contrast.
Set in the High Republic era 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte will center around an investigation into a shocking crime spree which pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.
Disney revealed the first look at the new series today, providing the first ever live-action glimpse at the shape of the galaxy during the High Republic.
Created by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. The series is set to debut on Disney Plus with two-episoses streaming on June 4th.
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‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Reveals Joaquin Torres’ New Falcon Look
Though it seems highly unlikely that Danny Ramirez‘s Joaquin Torres will evolve into a vampiric falcon-human hybrid anytime soon in the MCU, he’s certainly due for an upgrade. Having been given Sam Wilson’s EX0-7 Falcon suit in the Disney Plus streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Air Force First Lieutenant Torres is ready to step into the world of superheroics in Captain America: Brave New World.
Set photos from last May gave fans a very low-res and very unrevealing glimpse of Torres’ new and improved Falcon suit but now some promotional art for the film, similar to the recent art of Tim Blake Nelson’s The Leader, provides clear look at one of the upgrades.
As is the case in the comics, Torres will be sporting a full helmet in Captain America: Brave New World and that helmet is front and center in the artwork. The image also confirms that the MCU’s new Falcon will be decked out in an all-new, all-different color scheme that is consistent with the character’s recent look in the comics.
With Captain America: Brave New World set to undergo some significant additional photography this summer, fans may be treated to more set photos which could come with a better glimpse of the suit. Rumors have circulated that the scenes from which the set photos linked above were captured have been removed from the film which means Torres will have to find another reason to break out his new gear.
Captain America: Brave New World is currently slated to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.
Source: Twitter
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‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ Release Date Officially Revealed
Lucasfilm’s Star Wars streaming series have been fairly successful with The Mandalorian and Ahsoka leading the way. With the third and final season of the animated series, The Bad Batch, underway, the studio is beginning to turn its attention to their next project: The Acolyte.
Set during the High Republic era, the events of The Acolyte will reportedly take place nearly 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. Rumors has recently swirled about when it may drip on Disney Plus but now, thanks to a new poster released by Disney, fans can finally mark their calendar.
The series is now confirmed to debut on June 4th! Much like Ahsoka, it looks as though new episodes of The Acolyte will release on Tuesday nights. With a trailer expected tomorrow, fans will finally get a first look at the project and the High Republic era in live-action.
Updating…
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New Rumor May Shed Some Light on Marvel Studios X-Plans
As Marvel Studios continues to move toward the finish line of their ongoing Multiverse Saga, they already have one eye on the future of the MCU. One major piece of that future will be the X-Men, who have already begun to be sprinkled into the Multiverse. While Marvel Studios have laid out no clear plans, they did begin taking meetings with creatives last fall to hear pitches on how to fully incorporate mutants into the MCU. Now, a new rumor may indicate that part of the plan will revolve around one of the X-Men’s most devious villains.
According to insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios plans to put Mr. Sinister front and center as the big bad of the studio’s X-Men reboot.
Created by iconic X-Men writer Chris Claremont in 1987, Mr. Sinister has become one of most fabulous and deadly villains Charles Xavier and his team have ever faced. He played a large role in X-Men: The Animated Series and recently hatched his greatest plan to date in the comics which led to the end of the mutant’s Krakoan Age. Should Marvel Studios indeed choose to put Sinister in the middle of their plans for the X-Men and keep some semblance of who the character is in the comics, his long and incredibly complex personal history could truly be used to set the table for any number of stories to be told. Over the last 25 years and change, Sinister has had a hand in just about every major X-story and has deep ties to Apocalypse, the Summers family, the Weapon X program and both Charles and Magneto. Fox had planned to incorporate him into their X-Men franchise but never did, providing Marvel Studios with a fairly easy choice in a central villain that both helps set their X-films apart and allows for some very interesting stories to be told.
