Ahead of its full theatrical opening, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny grossed an impressive $7.2M from its Thursday night preview screenings. While that total may not seem to ring the bell in the same way that Marvel Studios preview nights do, as Deadline reports it is a very good haul when compared to similar films.
Dial of Destiny outgrossed both No Time to Die and Mission: Impossible-Fallout which opened to $6.3M and $6M, respectively. Both of those films opened near enough to the $65M projected opening for the fifth installment in the Indiana Jones franchise which would be considerably less than the $100.1M opening of the last installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Given the film’s large production and marketing budgets, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that the final Indy adventure will break even much less turn profit.
Sadly, showrunner Sterlin Harjo has revealed that the FX series Reservation Dogs is going to end with its upcoming third season, which will premiere in August. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, he take the time to share what it was like working on the show and that he already knew what the ending would be ahead of time for the iconic series that premieres on Hulu.
That’s a difficult line to write and a more difficult decision to make. However, it’s the correct decision creatively for the show. I always knew what the end of this story would be, I just didn’t know when it would arrive. As we continued to break stories and write scripts this season, it became clear to the producers, Taika and me that the season three finale is the perfect series finale. When we came up with the idea for Reservation Dogs, I didn’t think the show would ever get made, but thankfully it did.
Sterlin Harjo
The Hulu series was created by Harjo and Taika Waititi. It follows the story of four Indigenous teenagers in Oklahoma, who ended up taking on a dangerous lifestyle after the death of their fifth member. The show has a talented cast that was led by Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, Lane Factor, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. It’s a shame to see a great show end but perhaps Harjo has some exciting new Indigenous stories to tell in his future.
There have been some leaked images from the set of Venom 3 as production finally started, but it was hard to make out what exactly was happening in these scenes. Some theorized that Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock was wearing the same outfit that we saw in the post-credit sequence of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which brought the symbiote into the mainline Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Now, Hardy has unveiled the first image from the set, which confirmed the connection. So, it seems safe to say that the film takes place directly after Brock’s return from the MCU in his original dimension. We still don’t know if this is the same universe where Morbius and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter film take place, but it means we’ll get to explore the fallout of these events. Who knows if it might even tease a potential multiversal storyline?
We’ll have to wait a bit longer until we know how exactly it might tie into the events, but also if they will stick with whatever they are shooting. Who knows how much things will change once the WGA strike comes to an end and they are compensated as they should be? Of course, they may just be sticking to the first draft that was finished some time ago, but all that remains a mystery for some time moving forward.
Netflix just recently unveiled the first teaser trailer for One Piece, which is their next major release besides the return of The Witcher. With 3 Body Problem and Avatar: The Last Airbender postponed until 2024, it’s their last major push for the year. And, they went all out during TUDUM where Decider’s Raven Brunner got a chance to interview the actress Emily Rudd, who plays Nami in the series.
She got the chance to sit down and talk to the actress about the dream opportunity of playing an iconic character like Nami. In the interview, she shared how she ended up meeting showrunner Matt Owens and how he was a big part of her getting into the series. also, he seemingly set his mind on getting One Piece to Netflix when he pitched it for her to check out.
I’ve always known about One Piece – it’s a massive IP – but I didn’t start watching [the show] until I met our showrunner, Matt Owens, who has been my best friend for the last six years. We are with the same agency and they said, “Hey, you’re both nerds – go have coffee, chat it out.” And we did. He was like, “Yeah, I think I’m going to bring One Piece to Netflix. You should watch it if you haven’t.” And I was like “Okay, yeah, I’ll dive into 1000 plus episodes.” But I did.
Emily Rudd
She goes on to highlight that she hasn’t quite caught up with the anime, she definitely read all the manga. Rudd also highlighted how different it is for her reading the iconic journey of the Straw Hats compared to the anime.
Well, I read all the manga. I’m still working on the anime. There’s something about reading where I feel like the information is going into my brain in a very healthy way, and then with the anime, I was getting distracted.
Emily Rudd
The big selling point of this show is the way the cast interact with each other. Many of the cast members seem to just be the characters they will portray in the live-action sequence. Rudd highlights that they spent a lot of time together, but highlights she was with Inaki Godoy quite a bit due to seeing him like a little brother.
We all kind of spent time with each other equally, but I spent a lot of time with Iñaki [Godoy] and we definitely developed this older-sister-younger-brother dynamic. He’s 19 and I am not, so I felt a little protective of him. But, also he’s so energetic, so playful — it’s infectious. We created silly little bits that we just milked to death.
Emily Rudd
It definitely sounds like they had a lot of fun behind the scenes. Going by a lot of the promotional material so far, the group’s dynamic is quite infectious. One can see that Netflix also saw the potential and is definitely not holding back with promoting the show with videos of them just hanging out. Here’s hoping the wait for the next trailer isn’t too far off so we can get a good look at how they are together on screen.
Early on during the production of the live-action One Piece series, Netflix hinted that they want it to become their next major Stranger Things. Of course, they hope the show becomes a major player on the app that makes good use of the original stories’ many years worth of story to tell, they also had a different hope which is seemingly coming true.
Tamashii Nations’ action figure brand S.H.Figuarts has unveiled that they are working on a collaboration with the live-action One Piece series. That means we’re getting some high-quality figurines based on the iconic take of these live-action takes. The timing is also perfect, as they also revealed our first look will be available at the upcoming Anime Expo 2023 this weekend.
This collaboration is likely just the first, as YouTooz who already hinted at a figurine based on Inaki Godoy’s Monkey D. Luffy. So, we might expect an announcement soon or perhaps they are still trying to build up the reveal ahead of the weekend. Who knows if this also expands to potential figurines based on the iconic ships or various landmarks from the live-action take. Netflix is certainly all-in for this project to work.
As mentioned previously, One Piece wants it to be the next Stranger Things and that means they want it to sell merchandise. A lot of major projects don’t just live off of their viewership, similar to how Squid Game became a massive success with the various merch even though it has only released a single season so far. If there is any project that has the potential, it definitely is One Piece.
Netflix has been heavily promoting the upcoming live-action One Piece series. They invested a lot and are not holding back on promoting it, which gave us some posters early in the year leading up to a trailer reveal during TUDUM. Shortly after the event, with a release in late August on the horizon, we got a new special website for those wanting to join the live-action Straw Hats on Netflix. The biggest addition is that it also includes some rather curious teases for the series.
The website strawhatgrandfleet.com gives you a chance to sign up and become a “Nakama” of the Straw Hat’s Grand Fleet (a great reference to the manga). In the background, you can see various posters that are likely part of the show with a showcase of some curious references. ‘s backgrounds. They paint a good picture of how this pirate-infested world is living and that perhaps the Marines aren’t as much of our friends as one thinks.
— ONE PIECE NETFLIX FAN (@OP_Netflix_Fan) June 29, 2023
The biggest tease is that the “World Government” is included by name with a Big Brother poster. Those eyes even include little swirls that might be a reference to a recent reveal. They are warning many pirates throughout while also highlighting “Absolute Justice,” which is an iconic tagline of a major character we don’t meet until much later in the storyline. It looks like we’ll see a lot of propaganda throughout the series which also feels like a fitting way to adapt the Marines in a Western live-action adaptation that has similar experiences with police.
The best little inclusion is the Tangerine Juice poster that has the name of Belle-Mère, who is an important character for Nami. If you look closely, there are also some Wanted posters for unknown characters. Though, the posters are quite close to the ones we see in the manga, which is a great little touch. You can even see the Berry symbol in the left bottom corner. Here’s hoping we have more to see in the coming weeks.
Before audiences decided they hated everything produced by Marvel Studios, they loved everything produced by Marvel Studios. From 2014 through 2019, the vast majority of MCU films were overwhelmingly well-received by critics and fans alike. Many of those films involved one of the shared universe’s most beloved characters, Steve Rogers, played by one of its most beloved talents in Chris Evans. At least for the time being, Evans has put the MCU behind him and, following the events of the Marvel Studios streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, has been replaced as Captain America by Sam Wilson, portrayed by one of Hollywood’s most charismatic talents in Anthony Mackie. In 2024’s Captain America: Brave New World, Mackie will lead his first MCU feature film and become the first actor to take over an existing franchise as a legacy character and according to the actor, he’s feeling the pressure.
“There’s a huge amount of pressure,” Mackie told Inverse. “You throw my dumb ass in the water, and you’re like, ‘Swim.’ I’m like, ‘Sh*t.’ But at the same time, it’s all in the state of mind. I’ve been given a great cast. I’ve been given a great group of people who I’ve worked with before.” That great group of people includes director Julius Onah and co-stars Danny Ramierez, Shira Haas and Harrison Ford, who Mackie said made him “so fucking nervous” on their first day working together that he couldn’t remember his lines. “He’s Harrison fucking Ford,” said Mackie. “There is this aura about him. But he dispels that really quickly because he’s such a cool guy. He’s everything a movie star should be,” explained Mackie before recounting Ford’s on-set demeanor. “He would say, ‘Let’s shoot this piece of shit.’ And everybody was like, ‘Yeah, let’s shoot this shit,” said Mackie.
Despite picking up the shield that once belonged to Steve Rogers, Mackie is quick to explain that Sam Wilson is his own Cap. “It’s more so about his ability to connect and counsel,” Mackie says of Sam’s “superpower.” “He’s not as rash to bear arms as Steve Rogers was. Having a super serum makes you impossible to beat, so your answer to everything is to fight it out. Whereas Sam Wilson can actually die pretty easily.He realized that his ability is not to change the world with force; it’s about giving people the wherewithal and the recognition that they deserve so that they can make a change,” Mackie explained. “I can go around and beat up people all day; it won’t matter. Those people are going to come right back and do the same shit.” Despite not having superpowers, however, Mackie made one thing clear. “All the flying, CGI, and all that shit. That’s going to happen,” he assured.
As of now, Mackie’s first film foray as Cap is slated for July 26th, 2024 and despite some fairly spoilery set photos making their way online, the plot of the film is still relatively unclear. Though he wouldn’t say much, Mackie did indicate that he and Ford worked together quite a bit on Brave New World. “We spent a good bit of time together. Ross and Cap have always had that relationship, where they were friends and they respected each other, but they always bumped heads. That’s their relationship in the storyline,” explained Mackie. With Ross set to become the President of the United States of America, it’s interesting to imagine what would cause him to bump heads with Captain America. As of now, fans will have to wait just over a year to find out.
The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu tells the tale of a young girl named Clementine, aka Clem, as she makes her way from Earth to Mars to work under the great Dr. Lin – an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. Clem has been following Lin’s work since she lived on Earth and is thrilled to finally get the chance to meet her, but her interest soon veers once she meets Lin’s personal AI, Kye.
It’s not abnormal for folks in Mars to have AIs. In fact, everyone seems to have one, including Clem. However, it is odd for someone to have a humanoid AI. But as Clem begins to learn more about both Dr. Lin and Kye, she’ll soon learn that not everything is what it appears to be.
The Infinity Particle is a stunning book. Not only is the artwork beautiful, but the story itself is also rather captivating. I’ve always been interested in the concept of what makes us human. (I wrote an entire book series based on Programs and humanity.) So, I was immediately hooked once I began reading The Infinity Particle. But what kept me reading through to the end was the way Xu handled both Clem’s story and Kye’s. This isn’t merely a story about Kye and his humanity. It’s far more complex than that. There are so many layers. So many twists. It’s a thrilling ride with a heck of a conclusion.
With that said, The Infinity Particle won’t necessarily be for everyone. Those that take issue with Marvel’s Scarlet Witch and Vision entering into a relationship will more than likely not enjoy the romantic aspect of The Infinity Particle. Which is entirely understandable, of course. But readers that are able to look beyond that will find a story that has no issue asking its readers just what it is that makes us human.
In the case of all things which have several parts and in which the totality is not, as it were, a mere heap, but the whole is something besides the parts…
Aristotle
It’s safe to say Aristotle wasn’t talking about Episode 2 of Secret Invasion when he wrote those words in his principal treatise, Metaphysics, but that doesn’t mean they don’t apply. “Promises”, the second of six episodes in Disney Plus’ latest Marvel Studios streaming series, is a coruscating collection of incredibly well-written scenes, made great by a set of colossally talented actors, that when viewed holistically appear as one of the finest episodes of television from the studio to date. Bookmarked by some damn interesting retconning that gives fans a lot to chew on when it comes to what they thought they knew about Nick Fury, “Promises” delivers a perfect follow-up episode to its more slowly-paced predecessor and provides hope that Secret Invasion could be full of surprises.
Short of the awkward scene in which we learn that Maria Hill had a mother, “Promises” provides the audience with the necessary exposition to understand precisely what Gravik’s Skrulls are up to AND why Gravik is up to it. Kingsley Ben-Adir‘s air of nonchalance as the character proves a compelling choice in relaying to the audience that–in his mind–the war he wages on Earth is already won. As seen in the episode’s opening flashback, his shared history with Fury has put a chip on his shoulder that can never be repaired. And as Gravik’s impressive vibe check of the Skrull Council shows, he will find a way to get his way. As the newly minted War Time Skrull General, Gravik will now have the (almost) full support of the Council to carry out his plan to create an army of Super Skrulls. That plan, revealed via one of Marvel Studios’ coolest Easter eggy scenes since Iron Man 2‘s “map scene”, involves using the work of human scientists to bind the DNA of a collection of powerful beings, such as Groot and Cull Obsidian, to that of Skrull warriors. As promotional footage for the series has already revealed, Gravik’s plan will be successful which makes you wonder how Fury, who won’t call in The Avengers, can save the day.
The strength of “Promises”, however, lies not in the revelation of a pretty comic book-y plot by the bad guys, but in the strength of the individual performances given by the ensemble cast. One episode after some heavy-handed writing bogged down the series debut, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn’s Tarantino-esque train car scene should be the gold standard for how dialogue can be enjoyable and move the story along. The two stars share such chemistry that you wish they’d had a longer train ride. Next, it’s Don Cheadle‘s turn to star, including an especially powerful conversation with Fury that makes it clear–if it somehow wasn’t already–Rhodey is nobody’s sidekick but rather a force to be reckoned with in or out of the armor. And if you didn’t enjoy Olivia Colman‘s display of her massive talent while she tortured the captive Skrull…masterful. And the episode’s final scenes provide one of the MCU’s biggest jaw-droppers to date…and jaws will drop even further before it’s over. Scene after scene after scene, “Promises” delivers a series of moments that ultimately do coalesce into a damn good episode of Marvel TV that gives the series some necessary momentum.
I’m Nick Fury. Even when I’m out I’m in.
The stage is set for the series’ second act, one that will certainly see the “old Fury” find his way back to take on his “wayward son.” Gravik may think he’s already won the War for Earth but this is Fury’s war, too, and he hasn’t even started fighting yet.
Amazon Studios rolled the dice in 2018 with what at the time was perceived as yet another, other attempt to reboot author Tom Clancy‘s Ryanverse into a successful franchise. From the start, however, it was clear that the team behind Amazon’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan had no interest in putting out more page-to-screen adaptations of Clancy’s novels but rather taking the central character of those novels and creating original stories set in modern times. Then they rolled the dice again by casting John Krasinski, an actor who certainly did not have the action resume most fans associated with the role of Ryan. As the streaming series comes to an end with its fourth and final season, it’s now clear that Amazon’s gamble paid off.
While the first season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan wasn’t critically beloved, it provided a template for the show’s success: drop Jack Ryan–who’s a little more Jack Bauer than previous versions–in the middle of a complex, multi-faceted problem, surround him with an interesting supporting cast and put him up against a compelling antagonist. Over the second and third seasons, that template was tweaked, adding some seedy secondary villains, introducing some nefarious conspiracies and, most interestingly, bravely taking the series to places in the world where real issues exist that might not always make the headlines. Season 4 of the show ultimately (and smartly) works as a highlight reel of what worked well across the previous three seasons only falling short by failing to find an antagonist as uniquely formidable as Season 1’s fascinating Mousa bin Suleiman.
The Problem
The final season of Jack Ryan shines the spotlight on one of Hollywood’s favorite group of faceless baddies–a Mexican cartel–but spices things up a bit by adding some more evil to the mix from a place most folks couldn’t find on a map in Myanmar. A hot bed of organized crime in the real world, the Ryanverse’s Myanmar (almost certainly influenced by real world events) is home to a Chinese triad who has made its home in the Shan State and is looking to up its game by joining forces with the cartel. That convergence requires some nasty work done in Lagos, Nigeria. That work, which has the earmarks of the CIA all over it, ultimately comes across the desk of the CIA’s new Deputy Director, Jack Ryan, the one man baddies all over the globe should know by now to fear!
The Villains
Jack Ryan Season 4 has no shortage of bad guys for Jack to take on; on the contrary, if there’s weakness to the final season it’s that there are so many that none of them get anywhere near enough screen time to be as bad as they wanna be. Not quite cannon fodder, not quite on the level of Season 3’s more memorable assemblage of baddies, the group of villains that Jack and his team work their way through over the course of the season’s six episodes has the feel of a “AAAA ball player”: too good for AAA and can’t quite cut it in The Show. And while the writers gave the old college try to throwing a surprise villain or three in the mix, you’d have to have slept through the first 3 or 4 episodes to truly be surprised.
The Supporting Cast
As it turns out, the lack of a great villain who chews up the screen works out in that it allows for the supporting cast of the series to really take off. National treasures Wendell Pierce and Mike Kelly return as tritagonists James Greer and Mike November, respectively, and do what they do best: elevate every scene they’re in. Pierce owns the role of Greer now and seems to be having a blast delivering ass kicking and mother fuckers left, right and center and Kelly, who definitely hit the gym, plays the Howling Mad Murdock to Ryan’s Hannibal Smith with all the appropriate reckless abandon. Neither seems to have a wasted moment on screen. They’re matched in that regard by newcomer Michael Pena whose Domingo Chavez provides a wonderful “Ready. Fire. Aim” foil to Krasinski‘s analytical Ryan. Betty Gabriel gives Elizabeth Wright a little more depth in her second go around and Abbie Cornish gets more to do as Cathy Mueller. A lead is only as strong as the supporting cast and Amazon has understood that–and nailed it–from the start.
If you’ve been watching all along, Season 4 of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan will serve as a great farewell to the characters and Krasinski’s final big speech truly captures the spirit of Clancy’s iconic character. While beyond Michael B. Jordan and Chad Stahelski’sRainbow Six film the future of the Ryanverse is largely undefined, whatever comes next will rest comfortably on a firm foundation built over four seasons of a very solid series.
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