Blog

The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before ‘Echo’

Marvel Studios next streaming series, Echo, will be one of many “firsts.” Echo will be the studio’s first TV-MA project and the first to debut under the Marvel Spotlight banner. It’s also the studio’s first superhero project to be led by a Native American in star Alaqua Cox, the first series to have all episodes available immediately and the first to debut simultaneously on Hulu and Disney Plus. With the holiday season coming up, now is good a time to start preparing for the series which debuts on January 10th, 2024. That means it’s time for…THE ULTIMATE LIST OF WHAT TO WATCH BEFORE ECHO!

Tier One

Given Maya Lopez has only appeared in one project so far, there isn’t much you MUST know about her character before jumping into Echo. In fact, Marvel Studios promises that viewers don’t have to watch any other Marvel projects to understand the plot of Echo or any of their Marvel Spotlight projects. However, if you want as much background as possible, everything you need to know takes place in another D+ series.

Hawkeye

The synopsis for Echo reveals that following the events of Hawkeye, Maya is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire. Hawkeye provides all the information you need to understand why Fisk, played once again by Vincent D’Onofrio, is after her and allows an idea of their long history together. If you haven’t seen it yet, Hawkeye will give you a little taste of who Maya Lopez is…and explain why Fisk is wearing that fancy eye patch in the trailer.

Tier Two

Tier Two projects are supplemental/non-essential viewing even for typical rewatches. Given Echo’s Marvel Spotlight banner, they are even more non-essential (?).

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Episode 8

Again given Echo’s identity as a Marvel Spotlight project, no additional viewing is required; however, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil is slated to appear in a couple of episodes of Echo so if you want or need a reminder of how the character has been portrayed on the Sacred Timeline (or if you’ve yet to watch it yet), you can check in here. There’s some courtroom stuff, some high-flying fighting and some smashing…and, of course, the stride of pride. Cox is ALWAYS great as Murdock and it’s no different here even though it’s different here.

Tier Three

So you’re a completist…

Tier Three projects are there for those who absolutely must see every second of every project even tangentially related to the current one. In this case, there are just a pair of projects that you could watch (or better yet just Google the clips) before January 10th.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

As first revealed TO THE WORLD in 2020 by Murphy’s Multiverse’s own Charles Villanueva, Charlie Cox made his MCU debut as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home. More a promise of things to come than anything, his appearance as Peter Parker’s really good lawyer included a memorable brick catch and…yeah, that’s about it.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Episode 9

Cox’s return for the final scene of the She-Hulk finale is highly unlikely to be referenced in Echo (the way the MCU pays off scenes like this, it may never be referenced again) but we understand your compulsion, so we’re including it here for you.

Tier Four

This is a BRAND NEW ADDITION to the Ultimate List just for Echo. Tier Four projects are projects that you don’t need to watch but a slew of rabid fans are going to argue should be included anyway…

Daredevil (2015)

Watching Netflix’s Daredevil will do absolutely nothing to add to your enjoyment or understanding of Echo. You’d get just as much out of watching Ben Affleck‘s Daredevil…but don’t let that stop you! Anything you need to know about Maya’s history with Kingpin and/or Daredevil will be included in Echo but if you want to slog through an additional 39 hours of TV before January 10th, get nuts.

About Echo:

ECHO, releasing on Disney+ & Hulu. © 2023 MARVEL.

Echo also stars Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English), Graham Greene (1883, Goliath), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown), Devery Jacobs (FX’s Reservation Dogs, American Gods), Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX’s Reservation Dogs), Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!, Four Sheets to the Wind) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Hawkeye, Godfather of Harlem).

No bad deed goes unpunished on Jan. 10, 2024, when Marvel Studios’ Echo launches on Disney+ and Hulu. The five-episode streaming event spotlights Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy.
Official Press Announcement for Marvel Studios Echo

Episodes of the series are directed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai). Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Richie Palmer, Jason Gavin (Blackfeet), Marion Dayre and Sydney Freeland. Co-executive producers are Jennifer L. Booth and Amy Rardin.

December 10, 2023
RUMOR: Lucasfilm Contemplating Major Changes to the Release of Season 4 of ‘The Mandalorian’

Following Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was clear that Lucasfilm wanted Star Wars to make a triumphant return to theaters. The studio announced three new theatrical releases set to debut in three different era of the Star Wars timeline. Of those, it was widely believed that director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film–which will be set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker and see Daisy Ridley‘s Rey found a new Jedi Order–is Lucasfilm’s top choice to kick off their return to theaters. And right up until a pair of Hollywood work stoppages, that seemed to remain the case. However, a new report from insider Jeff Sneider indicates that Lucasfilm may have quickly pivoted to a project even further along in development as the one to get Star Wars back in theaters on May 22nd, 2026.

According to Sneider, Lucasfilm is making moves to reframe the fourth season of Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian as a film and have it ready to make the 2026 date. “I think we’ve all been operating under the impression that the Daisy Ridley movie was going to be the next Star Wars movie, I know I certainly was,” said Sneider. “They announced like three movies and it was like, ‘okay, the Daisy Ridley one is the furthest along I think.’ It has a director and all that. Anyway, it doesn’t sound like that may be the next one,” he teased before revealing the news from his source.

(L-R): Grogu and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) with stone crabs in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

A couple of months ago I shot this one down, that there were rumours that season four of The Mandalorian could be turned into a movie. I think at the time I didn’t think that was necessarily the case. However, that is now what I am starting to hear. That the odds are in that projects favour, whatever season four of The Mandalorian turns out to be, whoever is in it, what it turns out, whatever shape it takes, it is looking like that could be the next Star Wars movie and that might be the thing that’s announced before the end of the year.

Sneider’s Star Wars source has proven to be fairly informative in the past, specifically around the Ridley-led film, and if it’s correct again here, fans may get news in the next couple of weeks. Favreau completed work on the scripts for Season 4 of The Mandalorian well before the WGA strikes and until the SAG strike backed up the production pipeline, principal photography was expected to begin this past fall. Given all those factors and where the current plot of the New Republic era stories have left off and the popularity of the ongoing series, it does seem possible Lucasfilm is making those moves.

However, with leading daddy Pedro Pascal heavily rumored to portraying Reed Richards in Marvel Studios Fantastic Four—said to be filming in the spring of 2024–and also set to be tied up on production of Season 2 of The Last of Us, it’s hard to imagine he’d have time to fulfill his duties as Din Djarin. Fortunately, it’s fairly widely known that Pascal mostly does voice work for the series while the Beskar suit is filled by Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder. With all the in mind, this sounds very much like a rumor worth paying attention to. Perhaps this is the way for Star Wars to get back to theaters!

Source: Hot Mic Podcast

December 9, 2023
Morena Baccarin Confirms Return for ‘Deadpool 3’

With Marvel Studios untitled Deadpool and Wolverine film continuing to bring back all sorts of characters from previous Fox Marvel films and the plot clearly revolving around time travel/multiversal hijinks, it’s easy to believe that just about anything is fair game for the 2024 films. The Fox X-films were certainly not known for their attention to continuity details so any plot thread left dangling could be in play as well as continuing some stories that were ongoing when Disney and Fox struck a deal for the live-action rights to the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and related characters. Foremost among those, it would seem, would be the events of the post-credit scenes to Deadpool 2 in which Wade Wilson used Cable’s time-traveling tech to undo some damage done in the film, including saving the life of his fiancée, Vanessa, played by Morena Baccarin. Earlier in the year, the actress explained that she had not finalized terms to return but that’s all changed now.

In an interview with CBM, Baccarin confirmed that she had struck a deal with Marvel Studios to appear in the film. “It did work out! I finished my shooting days on it, already,” said Baccarin, indicating she’s most likely finished work on her part well before the mid-summer work stoppage. “I think the film is now underway again after the strike and I think it’s going to be quite good! Yeah, I think fans are in for a fun surprise.”

Given the rumored presence of the TVA in Deadpool 3, and what is already known about the organization, it’s a safe bet they’d be pretty unhappy with the Merc with a Mouth’s actions in Deadpool 2. The threequel is shaping up to be quite something and with it being Marvel Studios only 2024 film, it’s sure to be under intense scrutiny. Whatever director Shawn Levy and stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have in store, it’s rumored to be tightly tied to the overarching Multiverse Saga narrative and lead into the events of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. Let’s see if any of the film goes unspoiled before its July 26th, 2024 release.

Source: Comic Book Movie

December 9, 2023
Sean Gunn Lands a Major Role in the New DCU

With Superman: Legacy having significantly rounded out its cast over the past several weeks, director and DC Studios co-chair James Gunn has turned his attention to some major world-building for the new DC Universe. According to a trade report, Gunn has cast his brother, Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1-3), as one of DC Comics more intriguing supervillains.

Deadline reports that the actor is set to portray Maxwell Lord, a one-time ally of the Justice League turned nemesis, who first appeared in 1987’s Justice League #1. If the character sounds familiar, it’s because he was recently played by Pedro Pascal in 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984. Additionally, Lord appeared on the small screen in both Smallville and Supergirl.

According to Deadline’s sources, Lord will be referenced in Superman: Legacy but is not expected to appear on screen. With the streaming series Waller set to debut ahead of Superman: Legacy and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and The Brave and the Bold up next on the theatrical slate, it looks like Gunn’s been cast for the long haul. It’s entirely possible that Lord shows up in multiple projects in Gods and Monsters: Chapter One and could even be the driving force behind the formation of the DCU’s Justice League.

Source: Deadline

December 9, 2023
Arlyn Reviews ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever’

Just in time for the holiday season, Disney+ has released a new Diary of a Wimpy Kid animated movie. Loosely based on the 2011 book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever follows Greg on mischievous winter adventures with his best friend Rowley while also enjoying Christmas with his family. It may not be a direct adaptation of the book, but it keeps many of the same storylines and overall is another solid entry into the animated franchise.

With the movie debuting during the holiday season, it’s key that it touches on some traditional holiday themes. When a big snowstorm shuts everything down it forces Greg to spend time with his family at a time when he wants nothing more than to be away from them. Another one of Greg and Rowley’s typical dumb ideas leads to a series of events that brings Greg face-to-face with the driver of a broken snow plow. Their interaction leads Greg to realize that being with his family isn’t the worst thing in the world and he learns to start to cherish those moments.

(L-R): Manny (voiced by Gracen Newton), Frank Heffley (voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos), Susan (voiced by Erica Cerra), Greg (voiced by Wesley Kimmel) and Rodrick (voiced by Hunter Dillon) in Disney’s DIARY OF A WIMPY KID CHRISTMAS: CABIN FEVER, exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

From a kid’s perspective, Christmas is too often all about presents and that’s definitely something Greg deals with in this movie. For most of the movie, Greg is obsessed with this year’s “best gift ever”: a gaming system. Also in typical kid fashion, Greg justifies his snooping and grows paranoid about his elf on the shelf observing his behavior. Greg’s obsessive behavior over the present ultimately leads Greg to learn the most important lessons about the holiday season, not everyone is as fortunate as him, and giving is better than receiving.

Author Jeff Kinney’s continued creative input into the movies allows him to tweak the storylines for the new medium and for modern times. Aimed at younger viewers, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever offers laughs and lessons wrapped up in a cute animated package delivered on Disney+.

About Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever

Get ready for the Wimpiest Christmas ever! The original animated adventure, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, the latest animated movie based on Jeff Kinney’s wildly successful book series, will premiere December 8, 2023, exclusively on Disney+. The film is a hilarious and heartfelt holiday tale centered around everyone’s favorite disaster-prone middle school student.

The winter holidays are turning out to be especially stressful for Greg Heffley this year. After
accidentally damaging a snowplow while making a snowman with best friend Rowley Jefferson, Greg worries he won’t get the new video game console he so desperately wants for Christmas. To make matters worse, he gets snowed in with his family, including his grumpy older brother Rodrick and annoying younger brother Manny.

Directed by Luke Cormican (Teen Titans Go!) and written and produced by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever features the voices of Wesley Kimmel (The Mandalorian), Spencer Howell (Ithaca), Chris Diamantopoulos (Beavis and Butt-Head), Erica Cerra (Power Rangers), and Hunter Dillon (Deadpool 2).

The Characters

(L-R): Manny (voiced by Gracen Newton), Frank Heffley (voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos), Susan (voiced by Erica Cerra) holding Elfrendo, Greg (voiced by Wesley Kimmel) and Rodrick (voiced by Hunter Dillon) in Disney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Wesley Kimmel (The Mandalorian) is the voice of Greg Heffley, the disaster-prone middle
school student having a stressful winter holiday. He is trying to be on his best behavior so he will get the new video game console he desperately wants for Christmas but gets into trouble with best friend Rowley Jefferson when they damage a snowplow while innocently building a snowman.

Spencer Howell (Ithaca) voices Rowley Jefferson, who enjoys spending the winter holidays
inside sipping hot cocoa and singing Christmas carols with his parents, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus on the big night. He is an unwilling accomplice to Greg Heffley’s snowplow cover-up.

Erica Cerra (Power Rangers) is the voice of Greg Heffley’s mother, Susan, who lives for the
Christmas holiday season and all its traditions. She is happiest when the family can celebrate the Yuletide season together.

Chris Diamantopoulos (Beavis and Butt-Head) voices Frank, Greg Heffley’s father, who is so busy anticipating a massive winter snowstorm that he is missing out on the family’s holiday
traditions that are so important to his wife Susan.

Hunter Dillon (Deadpool 2) is the voice of Greg’s older brother, Rodrick Heffley, who is spending the winter holidays lazy and unmoving from the couch until he decides he will find the culprits wanted by the police so he can take the reward money for himself.

Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary) voices Gabby, who drives a snowplow to make extra
money for the holidays. She is a single mother to her son Tyler, who is the light of her life.

Elfriendo is a homemade doll from Susan Heffley’s childhood who keeps watch over children and reports any bad behavior to Santa and his elves at the North Pole.

The Filmmakers

Jeff Kinney (Writer/Producer) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a
Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

Luke Cormican’s (Director) numerous animated credits include over 78 episodes of Teen Titans Go, on which he served as writer, producer, and director, as well as The Penguins of
Madagascar, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, The Buzz on Maggie, and Ren and Stimpy Adult
Party Cartoon, among others. Cormican also served as head of story on Teen Titans Go to the Movies.

John Paesano (Composer) is a BAFTA-winning, Emmy®-nominated composer with a range of credits that include The Maze Runner film trilogy, both of PlayStation’s Spider-Man videogames, 50 episodes of Marvel’s Defenders and Daredevil and 100 episodes of
the How to Train Your Dragon series (for which he won an Annie Award).

https://youtu.be/A–mvyHQhcc

December 8, 2023
EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Kinney Hints at Which ‘Wimpy Kid’ Story Will Hit Disney Plus Next

After Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules successfully debuted as animated features on Disney Plus, it seemed that audiences were in for a very linear adaptation of creator Jeff Kinney‘s best-selling Wimpy Kid series. Indeed that was the plan as Kinney indicated in 2022 that work had begun on turning the third book in the series, The Last Straw, into a feature intended for a 2023 debut. However, it turns out 2023’s Wimpy Kid release will instead be a Christmas Special adaptation of Cabin Fever. So what will become of The Last Straw?

Given that Kinney and Disney had done so much work on The Last Straw before pivoting to Cabin Fever, it stands to reason that they would not let that work go to waste. In talking with Kinney about Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, we asked if he believed The Last Straw would be next up and possibly ready for a 2024 release on Disney Plus.

“I‘m hoping so,” exclaimed the author. “You never know what the landscape is going to look like in streaming. That world is kind of a work in progress but I’m really hoping that that story gets told.” As Kinney explained, the decision to move to an adaptation of Cabin Fever was at the behest of Disney to provide a holiday special for their streaming service and not an indication of any problems with The Last Straw. Given all those variables, it seems very logical that they’d like to finish production on that project and have it ready for 2024. However, as Kinney points out, things can change very quickly in the entertainment industry.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever debuts at 12 AM PST/3 AM EST on December 8th only on Disney Plus.

December 7, 2023
Mark Ruffalo Addresses the Rumors of Another ‘Hulk’ Solo Film

Since rumors about a potential World War Hulk(s) film circulated a couple of years ago, information about a second Marvel Studios-produced Hulk film has dried up almost entirely. With Red Hulk believed to be set to appear in Captain America: Brave New World, the stage seems set for the studio to put together some sort of Battle of the Hulks project; however, it’s not so simple as putting together a script and starting production when it comes to the Hulk and associated characters.

Similar to Spider-Man, yet unique and a little different, the live-action rights to the Hulk have always been tied up in a deal that now involves NBCUniversal. While it’s thought that perhaps some settlement has been reached during negotiations over Hulu that would allow Disney to take over the rights to the character, nothing official has ever been shared. If the old deal were still in place, Marvel could make the film but would ultimately share profits with NBCUniversal. Still, Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo has expressed the desire to continue to evolve the character on the screen and has made it known he’d love to do another solo Hulk project. While talking with Comic Book, Ruffalo was asked if there was a change of possession of the live-action rights following the Disney an NBCUniversal deal.

“Not that I know of,” Ruffalo began before adding that he’d “been asked not to comment on it, that specifically.” Once a fountain of MCU spoilers, it seems that Ruffalo has been the subject of some recalibration by Disney. While he wasn’t able to reveal any major updates on the status of the live-action rights, he did, however, share that he was as hopeful as anyone that another Hulk film might happen and that if it does, he’s got some ideas about what it should be. “Hopefully, one day though they’ll work it out,” he said of the right’s exchange. “I think [another MCU-set Hulk film] could be really cool and I’ve been putting a lot into what it could be to be cool, but I don’t know yet.“

If such a project is officially in the works at Marvel Studios and part of the Multiverse Saga, perhaps Disney will find a way to share some news in 2024.

Source: Comic Book

December 7, 2023
EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Kinney on Skipping Ahead to ‘Cabin Fever’

In 2021, Disney Plus rolled out Diary of a Wimpy Kid, an animated feature based on author Jeff Kinney’s best-selling and beloved 2007 book. At that time, Kinney told us that he hoped that his partnership with Disney would be fruitful enough that each of the now 18 books in the series would be adapted for the streaming service.

I really hope we get to do lots of these stories because we’re really trying to do a good job and we’re not just spitting them out. We’re sort of really taking our time in crafting them and I love that so I hope we can tell lots of stories.
Jeff Kinney on his hopes to adapt the entire Wimpy Kid series as animated features for Disney Plus

A year later, an adaptation of Rodrick Rules, the second book in the series, hit the streaming service and Kinney indicated that an adaptation of the third book, The Last Straw, was already in development. All signs pointed to that adaptation being ready for a 2023 debut and yet, on December 8th, the streamer will release Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, an adaptation of the sixth book in the series. While talking with Kinney about the new project, we inquired as to what exactly transpired that led to change.

“We were working on The Last Straw which is the third Wimpy Kid story in the timeline,” explained Kinney, “And then Disney said what would be really great is for us to do a Holiday Special. So we made this big switch pretty late in the day and we were able to put the movie together and get it out there in the world on time. It just felt like the right thing.“

Kinney also shared that the rise in the number of streaming services has led to a renewed demand for holiday specials which were near and dear to his heart as a child. For the time being, it looks as though Kinney’s partnership with Disney will continue to produce one Wimpy Kid feature per year and with Kinney open to the possibility of creating original stories for the streaming service, there’s no telling just how far into the future things may continue.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever debuts on Disney Plus at 12 AM PST/3 AM EST on December 8th.

About Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever

Get ready for the Wimpiest Christmas ever! The original animated adventure, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, the latest animated movie based on Jeff Kinney’s wildly successful book series, will premiere December 8, 2023, exclusively on Disney+. The film is a hilarious and heartfelt holiday tale centered around everyone’s favorite disaster-prone middle school student.

The winter holidays are turning out to be especially stressful for Greg Heffley this year. After
accidentally damaging a snowplow while making a snowman with best friend Rowley Jefferson, Greg worries he won’t get the new video game console he so desperately wants for Christmas. To make matters worse, he gets snowed in with his family, including his grumpy older brother Rodrick and annoying younger brother Manny.

Directed by Luke Cormican (Teen Titans Go!) and written and produced by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever features the voices of Wesley Kimmel (The Mandalorian), Spencer Howell (Ithaca), Chris Diamantopoulos (Beavis and Butt-Head), Erica Cerra (Power Rangers), and Hunter Dillon (Deadpool 2).

The Characters

Wesley Kimmel (The Mandalorian) is the voice of Greg Heffley, the disaster-prone middle
school student having a stressful winter holiday. He is trying to be on his best behavior so he will get the new video game console he desperately wants for Christmas but gets into trouble with best friend Rowley Jefferson when they damage a snowplow while innocently building a snowman.

Spencer Howell (Ithaca) voices Rowley Jefferson, who enjoys spending the winter holidays
inside sipping hot cocoa and singing Christmas carols with his parents, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus on the big night. He is an unwilling accomplice to Greg Heffley’s snowplow cover-up.

Erica Cerra (Power Rangers) is the voice of Greg Heffley’s mother, Susan, who lives for the
Christmas holiday season and all its traditions. She is happiest when the family can celebrate the Yuletide season together.

Chris Diamantopoulos (Beavis and Butt-Head) voices Frank, Greg Heffley’s father, who is so busy anticipating a massive winter snowstorm that he is missing out on the family’s holiday
traditions that are so important to his wife Susan.

Hunter Dillon (Deadpool 2) is the voice of Greg’s older brother, Rodrick Heffley, who is spending the winter holidays lazy and unmoving from the couch until he decides he will find the culprits wanted by the police so he can take the reward money for himself.

Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary) voices Gabby, who drives a snowplow to make extra
money for the holidays. She is a single mother to her son Tyler, who is the light of her life.

Elfriendo is a homemade doll from Susan Heffley’s childhood who keeps watch over children and reports any bad behavior to Santa and his elves at the North Pole.

The Filmmakers

Jeff Kinney (Writer/Producer) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a
Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

Luke Cormican’s (Director) numerous animated credits include over 78 episodes of Teen Titans Go, on which he served as writer, producer, and director, as well as The Penguins of
Madagascar, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, The Buzz on Maggie, and Ren and Stimpy Adult
Party Cartoon, among others. Cormican also served as head of story on Teen Titans Go to the Movies.

John Paesano (Composer) is a BAFTA-winning, Emmy®-nominated composer with a range of credits that include The Maze Runner film trilogy, both of PlayStation’s Spider-Man videogames, 50 episodes of Marvel’s Defenders and Daredevil and 100 episodes of
the How to Train Your Dragon series (for which he won an Annie Award).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A–mvyHQhcc

December 7, 2023
EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Kinney on the Possibility of Developing an Original ‘Wimpy Kid’ Story for D+

Since author Jeff Kinney first published Diary of a Wimpy Kid in 2007, more than 275 million copies of his Wimpy Kid books have been sold worldwide. Earlier this year, the 18th book in the series, No Brainer, was published and now a third animated feature, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, is set to debut on Disney Plus on December 8th. Despite being in the business for nearly two decades, it seems like Kinney is just getting started. The author told us that there are no plans to end the series and that he hopes to ultimately adapt each of his books into an animated feature for the streaming service but for a creative mind like Kinney, there are certainly a lot of ideas that haven’t made it into a book just yet and new ideas being generated by the day. So what to do with all those ideas?

Working alongside Disney to develop the series of animated Wimpy Kid features means that while Kinney serves as the writer and producer of each project he’s also one half of a creative partnership with a studio that has its own streaming service. While talking to Kinney about his latest project, we wondered if Kinney had considered creating an original Wimpy Kid story for Disney Plus.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” expressed a genuinely pensive Kinney, “but I wouldn’t be too surprised if they approached me with that idea. Sometimes you find…like I said, this time around they were like ‘we really could use a holiday story’ and if I hadn’t written one before, I think that Disney probably would have asked me to write one. So that would be interesting to have a feature that’s not in the Wimpy Kid canon.“

While the author was clearly open to the idea, he quickly indicated that if he ever did create a project for the streamer, he wouldn’t forget about his first love: the Wimpy Kid books. “What I’d probably do is say, ‘Ok, sure I’ll do that but I’m also gonna make this into a book.‘” said Kinney, “because I want to sort of duplicate my efforts.” Given Kinney’s willingness to try something new and the success of the series of animated features on the streaming service so far, it would seem anything’s possible.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever debuts on Disney Plus at 12 AM PST/3 AM EST on December 8th.

About Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever

Get ready for the Wimpiest Christmas ever! The original animated adventure, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, the latest animated movie based on Jeff Kinney’s wildly successful book series, will premiere December 8, 2023, exclusively on Disney+. The film is a hilarious and heartfelt holiday tale centered around everyone’s favorite disaster-prone middle school student.

The winter holidays are turning out to be especially stressful for Greg Heffley this year. After
accidentally damaging a snowplow while making a snowman with best friend Rowley Jefferson, Greg worries he won’t get the new video game console he so desperately wants for Christmas. To make matters worse, he gets snowed in with his family, including his grumpy older brother Rodrick and annoying younger brother Manny.

Directed by Luke Cormican (Teen Titans Go!) and written and produced by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever features the voices of Wesley Kimmel (The Mandalorian), Spencer Howell (Ithaca), Chris Diamantopoulos (Beavis and Butt-Head), Erica Cerra (Power Rangers), and Hunter Dillon (Deadpool 2).

The Characters

Wesley Kimmel (The Mandalorian) is the voice of Greg Heffley, the disaster-prone middle
school student having a stressful winter holiday. He is trying to be on his best behavior so he will get the new video game console he desperately wants for Christmas but gets into trouble with best friend Rowley Jefferson when they damage a snowplow while innocently building a snowman.

Spencer Howell (Ithaca) voices Rowley Jefferson, who enjoys spending the winter holidays
inside sipping hot cocoa and singing Christmas carols with his parents, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus on the big night. He is an unwilling accomplice to Greg Heffley’s snowplow cover-up.

Erica Cerra (Power Rangers) is the voice of Greg Heffley’s mother, Susan, who lives for the
Christmas holiday season and all its traditions. She is happiest when the family can celebrate the Yuletide season together.

Chris Diamantopoulos (Beavis and Butt-Head) voices Frank, Greg Heffley’s father, who is so busy anticipating a massive winter snowstorm that he is missing out on the family’s holiday
traditions that are so important to his wife Susan.

Hunter Dillon (Deadpool 2) is the voice of Greg’s older brother, Rodrick Heffley, who is spending the winter holidays lazy and unmoving from the couch until he decides he will find the culprits wanted by the police so he can take the reward money for himself.

Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary) voices Gabby, who drives a snowplow to make extra
money for the holidays. She is a single mother to her son Tyler, who is the light of her life.

Elfriendo is a homemade doll from Susan Heffley’s childhood who keeps watch over children and reports any bad behavior to Santa and his elves at the North Pole.

The Filmmakers

Jeff Kinney (Writer/Producer) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a
Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

Luke Cormican’s (Director) numerous animated credits include over 78 episodes of Teen Titans Go, on which he served as writer, producer, and director, as well as The Penguins of
Madagascar, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, The Buzz on Maggie, and Ren and Stimpy Adult
Party Cartoon, among others. Cormican also served as head of story on Teen Titans Go to the Movies.

John Paesano (Composer) is a BAFTA-winning, Emmy®-nominated composer with a range of credits that include The Maze Runner film trilogy, both of PlayStation’s Spider-Man videogames, 50 episodes of Marvel’s Defenders and Daredevil and 100 episodes of
the How to Train Your Dragon series (for which he won an Annie Award).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A–mvyHQhcc

December 7, 2023
The Skinny on Marvel Studios ‘Nomad’

It’s been almost three years since we uncovered evidence that Marvel Studios was developing a Nomad project. Following that discovery, COVID continued to impact production for quite a while and by the time Marvel Studios got back to SDCC in June of 2022, there had been no public acknowledgement of a Nomad project.

Months ago, several of the trademarks that were filed for “Marvel Studios Nomad” turned up as “dead” and recently those “dead trademarks” made the rounds on social media and message boards. Between those dead trademarks and the lack of any sort of announcement by Marvel Studios, the general consensus seemed to be that the Nomad project was dead. Now it looks like it may only be mostly dead which is, as Miracle Max taught us, slightly alive.

When Marvel Studios trademarks upcoming projects, they file multiple different trademarks. Some are for toys, some are for clothing, some are for cups and other types of merchandise; however, they also file one for “entertainment services” which essentially indicate they are making either a film or TV series.

Entertainment services, namely, the development, creation, production, and distribution of digital multimedia and audio and visual content, namely, motion picture films, television programs, and multimedia entertainment and educational content; development, creation, production, distribution, and rental of audio and visual recordings; production of entertainment shows and interactive programs for distribution via audio and visual media, audio and video streaming, and electronic means; production and provision of motion pictures, entertainment news and entertainment information via electronic communication networks and audio and video streaming; providing online computer games; providing websites featuring a wide variety of general interest entertainment information relating to motion picture films, television programs, musical videos, film clips, photographs, and other multimedia materials; entertainment services, namely, providing online non-downloadable comic books and graphic novels; amusement park and theme park services; educational and entertainment services rendered in or relating to theme parks, namely, live stage shows, live amusement park shows, live performances by costumed characters, and production and presentation of live theatrical performances; production and presentation of live shows; theater productions; entertainer services, namely, live appearances by a professional entertainer

As with everything else they make, Marvel Studios filed one of these for Nomad and while they’ve let all the other trademarks die, this one remains alive and well. In fact, the studio has taken measures to extend the trademark on several occasions including recently.

What does this mean for the development of the project? Ultimately it may well mean nothing. Bob Iger‘s return to Disney in combination with a pair of major strikes have further slowed development of several of Marvel Studios announced projects. Given that Nomad has never been officially been acknowledged as a future MCU project, it could easily go by the wayside as part of the studio’s renewed commitment to quality over quantity.

There are no firm details on what the project might even be about which means there’s no way to know if it was ever integral to the Multiverse Saga to begin with. At the end of the day, the existence of the trademark provides no assurance that any Nomad project will ever hit any screen, big or small; however, it does still have a pulse so don’t bury it just yet.

December 6, 2023