With only a few more days to go, Suki and Joe risked having the episode out before the live-action Netflix series releases by sharing the latest news and their hopes for the show, the latest news, and getting ready for a lot more One Piece.
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Marvel Studios’ Reshuffles its Disney+ Release Slate as ‘Agatha’ Gets a New Name
Marvel Studios has been shifting quite a few of its release dates as of late. While they certainly are going to for all projects that have yet to finish, it seems they also decided to map out some of their TV shows that were set to release on Diseny+ in the coming months. The biggest surprise is that Echo was pushed back (again) to a January release date even though it was previously slated for November 29th.
What If…? is going to be released on Christmas Day, which is our first confirmation as it was initially going to be released in 2023. So, it’ll be the only other show releasing this year besides Loki later in October, which is already being heavily advertised by Marvel Studios. X-Men ’97 also seemingly is getting a release timing, as it is set for early 2024 after initially planned to release later this fall. Season 2 of the series is already in the works.
Ironheart is off the schedule for now, as it seems it is affected by the strikes. The same goes for Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man, which had to pause in the middle of production. The big surprise is that Agatha: Coven of Chaos is getting another new name, this time Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. It initially was announced with the title Agatha: House of Harknes and is now set to release on Halloween next year.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 2 of ‘Loki’
With the recent news that Marvel Studios had once again reshuffled their streaming slate, fans have just one more live-action adventure to look forward to on Disney Plus in 2023. The good news, however, is that it’s the second season of what was undoubtedly one of the studio’s strongest beginning-to-end streaming series to date: Loki!
With a strong core cast returning and Season 1 writer Eric Martin taking over as showrunner, Season 2 of Loki should prove worthy of the lofty expectations fans have for it. While it certainly has some heavy lifting to do in terms of furthering the ongoing narrative of the Multiverse Saga–especially filling in some more of the background of its big bad, Kang–the second season also promises more of what made the first season so great: the bromance between star Tom Hiddleston’s redeemed Loki and Owen Wilson’s Mobius.
With Season 2 of Loki slated to premiere on Disney Plus on October 6th, it’s time to start your rewatch and, as always, we’ve prepared THE only resource you’ll need to get you started.
Tier One
Tier One projects are non-negotiable essentials to be watched/re-watched before streaming Season 2 of Loki. If you want to understand what’s happening, these two projects–listed in chronological order– are all you truly need.
Loki Season 1
Since first appearing in 2011’s Thor, Tom Hiddleston has curated one of the MCU’s most enduring and beloved characters in Loki; however, one of the most interesting and certainly most important things to remember while watching Season 2 of Loki is that this iteration of the character, for the most part, isn’t the one fans got to know so well through his five film appearances. This Loki is a Variant–Variant L1130, to be exact–created when Loki escaped with the Tesseract during the Battle of New York during the Avengers’ time heist. While an argument could be made, then, that Thor (2011) and The Avengers (2012) could be included in Tier One, those projects don’t seem to have a significant amount of influence on the streaming series so for folks who need their rewatch to be short(ish) and sweet, those can probably be avoided.
Of course, Loki isn’t just the story of Hiddleston’s Loki Variant but also the wonderfully spicy L1190 Variant, Sylvie Laufeydottir, played by Sophia Di Martino. It was her actions, after all, that allowed the timeline to branch and create the Multiverse and set the MCU on the path toward Secret Wars. Her relationship with Loki Laufeyson was one of the most interesting aspects of Season 1 and she once again plays a massive role in Season 2. There are also the to-be-continued stories of Wilson’s Mobius, Wunmi Mosako’s Hunter B-15 and Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s Ravonna Renslayer (please give her something more to do) that will play a role in the sequel season as well. And, of course, there’s Jonathan Majors‘ incredible debut as He Who Remains which provides as much insight into the Multiverse and the Multiverse Saga as anything so far. There’s just no way you can watch Season 2 without at least refreshing yourself on the highlights on Season 1!
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2022 MARVEL. Jonathan Majors‘ Kang Variants haven’t really accomplished too much onscreen just yet but relative to what Thanos got done at the same point in time in the Infinity Saga, the new Saga’s big bad has the edge. The death of He Who Remains in Season 1 of Loki allowed for Kang the Conqueror to menance Scott Lang, the Ant-Family and the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and his death (or disappearance) at the hands of those allied forces put the Council of Kangs on watch. When the Multiverse Saga is all said and done, Kang is going to play/will have played a key role which makes Quantumania must. The film also helps to get an understanding of how the MCU’s Multiverse works and with how little we actually know, it’s worth it for that alone. Additionally, at least one more Kang Variant, Victor Timely, is known to appear in Loki Season 2 and their are rumors that He Who Remains will find his way back into the mix. It’s possible other Variants will pop up, too, and it’s also very likely that the Conqueror plays some role as well.
Tier Two
As mentioned, these three films are the prelude to the opening of Season 1 of Loki. As such, they certainly inform who the character is when he’s apprehended by the TVA’s Minutemen in the Gobi Desert. That Loki underwent significant character development in Season 1 but it’s still worth your time to revisit these projects if for nothing else than to enjoy Hiddleston’s devilish performances as the God of Mischief.
Thor
After originally auditioning for the role of Thor, Hiddleston accepted the role of Loki after Chris Hemsworth was named as the God of Thunder…and Marvel fans everywhere have benefitted from it for over a decade. While it took Hemsworth a couple of projects to grow on fans as Thor, Hiddleston owned the role of Loki right away. While Thor may not be at the top of everyone’s rewatch lists, simply ask yourself what the MCU would have been without it and then sit down and enjoy.
Avengers
By the time Loki arrived on Earth in the opening of 2012’s The Avengers, Hiddleston’s legend had already taken on a life of its own…and it grew greater as the Prince of Lies became the driving force for the Avengers to assemble for the first time. While he ultimately found himself on the business end of one of the MCU’s most memorable beatings, he was still a dirty, rotten scoundrel with designs on fulfilling his glorious purpose.
Avengers: Endgame
Endgame is always worth the rewatch but in this case it provides the Nexus Event that allows for the divergent timeline on which the events of Season 1 of Loki took place to be created. While you really only need to rewatch the film’s retelling of the Battle of New York, feel free to relive one of the MCU’s greatest films in its entirety.
Tier Three
These six Tier Three projects are unlikely to have much of anything to do with the plot of Season 2 of Loki; however, if you’re a completist, you’re going to want to do all of your relevant homework!
The first three projects on the list complete the story of the redemption of Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson who ultimately died at the hands of Thanos. They also give you an opportunity to see Hiddleston fully inhabit the character in some of his best work.
Thor: The Dark World
Admittedly one of the toughest films to rewatch in its entirety, it’s no fault of Hiddleston; if anything, he makes it watchable. The Dark World begins to truly dive deeply into who Loki is and what is motivations are, creating a version of the character that you love, hate, trust and fear all at once.
Thor: Ragnarok
Like everyone else, Hiddleston was having a lot of fun in this one and gave one of his most complete performances as Loki. Ragnarok gave Loki a chance to be the god and hero he always longed to be…but Loki’s gonna Loki and by taking the Tesseract, he sealed his own fate.
Avengers: Infinity War
As painful as it might be to watch Loki have his godly neck snapped by Thanos, it’s one of the most important deaths in the entirety of the MCU. Audiences learned quickly that Thanos was a threat to be taken seriously and Thor was given all the motivation he needed to avenge his newly-redeemed brother’s death.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Eh…it talks about the multiverse.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Though this movie doesn’t reference any of the Loki Variants, it does introduce the idea of Incursions and it’s likely that idea will be revisited or further explored in Season 2.
What If…?
Season 1 of Loki created the Multiverse in which the stories told in What If…? exist and Loki features as major character in one of the series’ most interesting episodes. The series also gave fans a look at Loki fully realized in all his frost giant glory, something that after being teased briefly in Thor was never really addressed again. So rewatch the entire season or just the episodes with Loki, if you want, but don’t leave these animated stories off your list!
Frost Giant Loki in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…? exclusively on Disney+. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved. There you have it! Now put down your phone, pick up your remote control and get to it!
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‘One Piece’ Production Designer on Why They Changed Going Merry’s Figurehead
Production designer Richard Bridgland got a chance to share what it was like bringing the iconic manga One Piece to live-action. Given just how iconic many locations and visuals have become over the years, it was a daunting task for anyone to tackle.
It seems that the production team wanted to ensure that while they kept the fantastical elements from the original manga, their main goal was still to ensure that the One Piece series was kept as realistic as possible. As such, it led to a few changes that needed to happen one of them being the way the figureheads looed for the various ships.
It’s interesting, with all the figureheads of the ships, I couldn’t just copy them straight out of the manga and make them in real life, they would look kind of goofy. I had to create a credible real-life version of them. So, what was apparent to me from going into the manga was that all of these figureheads were actually kind of symbols for the spirit of that character.
Richard BridglandThere have been some jokes online about the Going Merry ship looking a bit creepy with the goat face screaming based on some behind-the-scenes images. Yet, once the poster was released the way they brought the figurehead into live-action highlights the “merry” part of Going Merry. So, it’ll be quite exciting to see the other ships brought to life.
Source: Collider
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Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Composers Wanted to Showcase Series Diversity in its Music
One highlight throughout the promotion for Netflix’s live-action One Piece was the energy that composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli brought to the table. As it turns out, they actually wanted to work on the show when it was announced and as they were fans, gave it their all to join the project by creating an entire concept on the “One Piece music universe” that consisted of “different themes and instruments we would assign to each one of our characters.”
I think it was December 2021. I think you’re right. So it was so long ago by now, and that video got everybody really excited. And from there on, we were immediately on board. But funnily enough, all those concepts that we outlined in that video and the themes that we came up with, because we actually even wrote specific themes for the video and performed that theme on different instruments, representing our characters, all those concepts, now that we are done with the soundtrack, it’s about to come out. They all remained 100% true in the final product
Sonya BelousovaLuckily, their work paid off and they got the chance to create the iconic score based on one of the biggest mangas out there. Their biggest mission was to ensure that the music in the live-action also reflected the diversity of the series. The world of One Piece even just in the East Blue consists of different types of islands that bring something different to the table.
The score for the live-action universe is very diverse stylistically because the whole universe is so diverse and our straw heads are so diverse within their roots and backgrounds and also their diverse and unique personalities and fighting styles and skill sets. So the whole concept of diversity was really something that was very paramount to us when building this music universe, and the score ranges stylistically from epic swashbuckling orchestra to songs featuring incredible artists such as Norwegian art-pop sensation Aurora, to hip hop featuring an amazing artist, Flawless Real Talk to rap to folk to big band jazz funk fusion.
Sonya BelousovaWe got a few glimpses of the music, such as Luffy and Gold Roger’s theme. There was also the theme for Nami that was also sung by Norwegian pop star Aurora; adding quite the star power to one of the most important arcs in the first season. So, it’ll be exciting to see all the diversity they are teasing from the entire series that we’ll be able to witness as it releases on Netflix tomorrow.
Source: What’s on Netflix
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‘One Piece’: Netflix Head Can’t Promise a Season 2 Yet
One Piece’s promotion so far has probably been the biggest we’ve seen from the streaming service. They are going all out with fan events, tie-in merchandise, and so much more. It truly feels like they believe this has the potential to be on par with their other projects like Stranger Things.
Sadly, it seems that Netflix’s head of US and Canada scripted series, Peter Friedlander, can’t promise an early renewal for the series just yet like they did with The Witcher (though nothing got that treatment since then) but believe their track record with other IP-based adaptations will prove there’s a good chance for this adaptation to do the same.
You can’t get it right every time. You hope that with creative passion and storytellers that you do. And that’s what I’m here for, is to support the storytellers and how they interpret and adapt and experience an IP. And I think we’ve had a pretty impressive run when you think about just within the last year with ‘The Sandman’ and ‘Wednesday.’ And I do think we are able to adapt some of these IP into something that’s extraordinary and unexpected, and still truly honor what it is.
Peter FriedlanderIt truly is a shame they haven’t renewed it yet given how big the fan reception has been, and the way they are handling it does hint that they believe it’ll be a success. Unlike Cowboy Bebop, they aren’t rushing it out to the streaming service without much fanfare. We’ll see if perhaps the promotion of this first season also shows them the importance of actually promoting their shows as well as future seasons.
Source: Variety
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Netflix Head was “Stunned” by Reactions to Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series
If there was one thing that makes One Piece stand out has always been the way it became one of the biggest-selling mangas in the world. The series missed its opportunity to establish itself in the States but ended up becoming a major franchise in Japan, France, Brazil, and a variety of other markets.
Netflix Head of U.S. and Canada Scripted Series, Peter Friedlander, shared that they were “all stunned, truly stunned” at just how big the reception was when it was first unveiled at their TUDUM event. It definitely was an emotional moment for the cast that made their big debut.
I think we were all stunned, truly stunned. We knew that there was a big fan base, but to watch those actors step out onstage, you could barely hear anything. They could barely get words out, and it was really an emotional experience just watching the actors.
Peter FriedlanderThey also were excited to see the early reception to the series going by how viewers reacted to the teaser and trailer. The initial look did have some people a bit optimistically nervous but reactions continued to get more positive as time went on.
It’s heartening to see the early reaction just to what we’ve shown. With the teaser and trailer, we’ve put out, we were trying to show the fans we’re loving on this IP, we are loving on this show and we hope you see that. I feel very hopeful and confident going into this.
Peter FriedlanderNetflix is certainly all-in with this adaptation given just how much merchandise they are already preparing to release by the time the series releases. They know what they have in their hands with the adaptation and its already massive built-in fan base. If the fan events are something to go by, there’s a lot of potential for this series to make a big bang for the streamer.
Source: Variety
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‘One Piece’ Creator Was Stumped by One Question from Live-Action Team
Richard Bridgland was given quite the challenging task of bringing the iconic world of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece to life. There are quite a few questions that could change the way they tackle the world-building that Oda is famous for and it seems that one question managed to surprise even the creator of this series.
In an interview by Collider’s Mike Thomas, Bridgland revealed that they managed to stump Oda with a simple question and that was if “there was electricity in the world.” What seems like a simple question would’ve defined the set design for their adaptation but it seems that Oda never gave that aspect a thought.
I remember one of the big things was about whether there was electricity in the world. It was really interesting because I needed to have electricity in the world for lighting because otherwise everything was gonna be candlelight and fire and everything, and it was gonna be so it could get very one note like that. And it was interesting because he came back, and he said, “That’s such a good question.” He’d never really thought of it in such a bold way.
Richard BridglandHe was also asked if they may have included a power system that wouldn’t become relevant until much later. Yet, it seems that Oda didn’t want to spoil that quite yet and keep it for later, as it is more a defining trait of a major character and simply stated: “Look, don’t use the cola power. That’s something that appears later in the story arc, but let’s say, yes, there’s electricity.” So, it seems that we will have to wait a bit until we get to witness One Piece’s true power system.
Source: Collider
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‘One Piece Director on How They Found Their Buggy
Buggy might be one of the more challenging adaptations in One Piece’s first season. While it’s not easy making the Fishpeople look realistic in live-action, it’s something different when you have to convince the world that this pirate world also includes a guy who just casually runs around dressed as a clown with a realistic giant red nose. In a way, Agents of SHIELD alum Jeff Ward is the perfect choice to play the character.
In an interview with Collider, director Marc Jobst shared how they found the perfect Buggy and it turns out Ward just showed up in make-up and made sure that he left a memorable performance. Even early trailers, Ward’s Buggy was a standout for many even when there was some concern early on with the first teaser, but the director highlighted that he “grabbed you by the throat” which sold them on his role.
When Jeff Ward auditioned for us, he was wearing makeup, and he leapt out of the screen in his audition and grabbed you by the throat, so we knew we had our Buggy.
Marc JobstThe director also goes on to highlight that the biggest challenge for him as a director was definitely trying to film in a giant tent. However, it seems their decision to add Jeff Ward as Buggy pushed the sequence to new heights, especially in how the interactions of Inaki Godoy’s Luffy and Buggy kept elevating the sequence going by his interview.
When we stepped onto the set, and we shot with him on his day one, it’s this enormous huge tent. It’s just a vast set all made out of old canvas sails, and everything, stitched together. We must have had, I don’t know, three, 400 extras in that, and it only just took up about half of the tent, it’s huge. Jeff walked onto that stage, and he roared, and it was beautiful. He owned that stage, and he owned that floor, and it was like, ‘Wow! Now let’s see how Luffy reacts.’ And of course, what was great is that Jeff sort of devoured his words and owned that space, which also made Luffy work harder. So you had this magical thing of Luffy, who’s saying this is fun, and Buggy saying, ‘I’m gonna eat you up,’ and that makes it really electric. And the fact that Luffy wasn’t scared by Buggy’s biting and roaring, and all the rest of it, just made Buggy more angry, which then becomes really dramatic
Marc JobstIt definitely makes you excited to see the clown pirate in action and raises the question if we’ll get more sequences of him. Buggy is a major character in the franchise with somewhat of a recurring role. It would be a shame not to make good use of Ward’s performance and depending on where they wrap up the first season they may still be keeping him for the second season potentially if it gets renewed.
Source: Collider
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REVIEW: ‘Ahsoka’ Gives Its Characters Time to Develop in “Time to Fly”
Patient storytelling is becoming a staple as Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s New Republic era of stories continues to unfold on the small screen. While the urge for all action all the time is undoubtedly present, the creative teams behind the Mandoverse properties continue to follow the way of the Jedi and the latest episode of Ahsoka, “Time to Fly”, is another example of their patience.
Picking up right where the two-episode premiere left off, “Time to Fly” opens with Ahsoka, Sabine and Huyang tracking the warp drive transported off of Corellia in “Toil and Trouble.” However, instead of having the heroes hop out of hyperspace and enter into battle with Morgan Elsbeth and her band of Force-wielding mercenaries, Filoni and director Steph Green (who also directed episode 2) wisely invest some time into the master and apprentice relationship between Ahsoka and Sabine. Additionally, through Huyang–voiced the wonderfully talented David Tennant–a clear picture of Sabine’s not-seen-onscreen struggles to become a Jedi is painted. Meanwhile, as Hera plays politics with Chancellor Mon Mothma and some New Republic talking heads only to get stonewalled, the stunning failures of the new system to be any better than the old system continue to pile up.
(L-R): Huyang (David Tennant) and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. And so while it was 20 minutes into a 35-minute episode before any big action took place (and that was a very fun dogfight), seeds have been sown that will certainly pay off not only over the course of the remaining episodes of Ahsoka but also over longerform narrative taking place in the Mandoverse. Unfortunately, that’s a fairly tough sell that’s further complicated by the fact that not everyone watching Ahsoka is incredibly well-versed in the preexisting relationships between the Star Wars Rebels characters. That having been said, enough exposition and work is being done to do most of the heavy lifting for the uninitiated audience even if they don’t quite know why Jacen Syndulla is a much better candidate for being a Jedi than Sabine.
Asking the audience to be patient for the third episode of an eight-episode series shouldn’t be asking too much, especially since it seems all the pieces have been put into place for the Peter Ramsey-helmed Episode 4 to be bursting at the seams with action and lore before Filoni resumes directing duties in Episode 5. With most of the major players having converged on Seatos, it looks as though that Baylan vs. Ahsoka lightsaber duel is right around the corner…but what of Sabine’s second chance with Baylan’s Dark Padawan? The seeds were all smartly planted. Patience, you must have.
