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  • Andy Muschietti Rumored to Be Back Behind the Camera for a New DC Studios Project

    Andy Muschietti Rumored to Be Back Behind the Camera for a New DC Studios Project

    It’s hard to imagine that there’s a comic book film that’s had a stranger saga than The Flash. While it’s finally set to be released this June, it’s been a long, rough road to release. Warner Bros. had been developing the property for over two decades when they finally added it to their slate of planned films and gave it a 2018 release date. Seth Grahame-Smith was brought on board to write and direct the Ezra Miller flick but bailed on the project citing creative differences. Warner Bros. swiftly replaced Grahame-Smith with Rick Famuyiwa who swiftly left citing…creative differences. By 2018, The Flash had become Flashpoint and then The Flash again, got a new creative team as John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein agreed to write and direct and was pushed to 2021 as Miller kept busy with his work in The Fantastic Beasts franchise. Daley and Goldstein hit the road and were replaced by It director Andy Muschietti who, by some miracle, stuck around long enough to make the film. And that’s not even getting into the Miller stuff…

    Muschietti’s work on The Flash has been subject to high praise from those who have screened the film ahead of its June 23rd release, including DC Studios co-chair James Gunn who called the film “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.” While the place of Miller’s Flash in the new DCU remains to be seen, a new rumor suggests that Muschietti has proven his mettle and is being tasked with shepherding one of DC Studios recently announced theatrical projects. According to r/DCEUleaks “verified sources”, Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran are eyeing Muschietti to direct The Brave and The Bold, which will introduce the DCU’s prime Batman and his son, Damian.

    Described by Gunn as “a story of Damian Wayne, who’s Batman’s actual son that he didn’t know existed for the first eight to ten years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin,” The Brave and The Bold will be “a very strange sort of father-son story” about Batman and Damian based on the Batman and Son arc from Grant Morrison‘s epic run on Batman at DC Comics. While it’ll focus on Bruce and Damian, Safran shared that the film will also “feature other members of the extended Bat-Family just because we feel like they’ve been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.“ At this time, Gunn has not spoken on the possible inclusion of Muschietti in the project, though given his propensity to address online rumors, it may only be a matter of time before he does.

    Source: Reddit

  • ‘X-Men’ Franchise Director Rumored to Be in Line to Helm DC Studios ‘The Authority’

    ‘X-Men’ Franchise Director Rumored to Be in Line to Helm DC Studios ‘The Authority’

    The inclusion of The Authority among the new DCU’s theatrical projects certainly came as a surprise to fans when James Gunn revealed part of the slate of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. The super team, once described as the Anti-Justice League for their lack of a moral compass, is hardly among the most popular group of DC comic book characters but look to play a big part in the overarching narrative of the DCU. As such, Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran would almost certainly love an experienced director behind the camera and according to a new rumor, they’ve found their guy.

    According to r/DCEUleaks “verified sources”, Matthew Vaughn has been slotted in to direct The Authority. Vaughn is a veteran of comic book properties as he’s helmed Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and the Kingsman trilogy. He is also known to be a huge fan of Superman who was once pursued by Warner Bros. to direct Man of Steel 2 and once developed a trilogy pitch with writer and friend Mark Millar. Interestingly, Millar wrote 12 issues of The Authority for DC following the departure of creators Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch from the series.

    As of yet, Gunn–who is notoriously active on social media when it comes to rumors about his projects–has yet to comment on the veracity of the rumor of Vaughn’s involvement. Whether it turns out to be true or not, Vaughn would certainly check a lot of boxes for both Gunn and fans when it comes to the type of talent attached to one of the new DC tentpoles.

    Source: Reddit

  • ‘Pearl’ Star Mia Goth Joins Mahershala Ali’s MCU Film ‘Blade’

    ‘Pearl’ Star Mia Goth Joins Mahershala Ali’s MCU Film ‘Blade’

    We haven’t heard much about Maherhsala Ali and Marvel Studios’ upcoming new take on iconic vampire hunter Blade. After a long pause, as production is set to finally start in a few months, the production studio got their hands on one of the biggest rising stars at the moment in Mia Goth for the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry set to be directed by Yann Demange from a script by Michael Starrbury. As is usual with these castings, her role is being kept a secret for now.

    Goth is probably among the current rising stars in Hollywood after her breakout role in Ti West’s X and its prequel Pearl. She has a knack for horror after starring in A Cure for Wellness, Suspiria, and Infinity Pool. She is also set to round out West’s X trilogy with MaXXXine which is currently filming. So she is likely to jump straight into the MCU production right after.

    It’ll be interesting to see what role she has in the upcoming MCU film and if they hope to have her be a recurring actress in the franchise. There’s no word on who she might be playing and how big of a role it might be, but she’d definitely make for a great addition to the franchise. Perhaps we get a new take on Vampire by Night who joins forces with Blade to take on an unlikely new foe in the horror corner of this cinematic universe.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios Rolls Out Paranoia Propaganda Warning of a ‘Secret Invasion’

    Marvel Studios Rolls Out Paranoia Propaganda Warning of a ‘Secret Invasion’

    Marvel Studios first streaming project of 2023, Secret Invasion, will see Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury racing against the clock against an enemy who could be anyone at any time. Adapted from the 2008 comic book event of the same name, Marvel Studios version will feature less super hero splash and more spy games while still asking the same question Brian Michael Bendis posed in the comics:Who Do You Trust?

    With Secret Invasion now set for a June 21st streaming debut, marketing got the series is unser and some great new promotional material has made its way online through a couple of Twitter accounts. The first group of material seems to indicate that at some point during th series, the general public will become aware of the Skrull invasion. Given it’s been reported that Christopher McDonald will portray a Tucker Carlson-esque talking head in the series, these seem like the type of paranoia propaganda he might use to spread an agenda of fear and distrust. “They can be anybody” can cause a helluva movement.

    The next set of promo art, featuring Jackson’s Fury, Don Cheadle‘s James Rhodes, Martin Freeman‘s Everett Ross, Olivia Colman‘s Sonya Falsworth and Emilia Clarke‘s Skrull spy, G’iah, uses that classic comic event tagline, “Who Do You Trust?” to target the audience as the show approaches. It’s likely that even in the trailers Marvel Studios has already begun misleading the audience into deciding who is who and on which side. Expect plenty of surprises to be in store as the show progresses.

    Sources: MCU Facility, Nacao Marvel

  • Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Adds Billy Magnussen

    Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Adds Billy Magnussen

    Aloha Billy Magnussen! It seems that the cast of the upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch film is still growing ahead of its production. Magnussen joins Zach Galifianakis and future Lilo, Maia Kealoha in an undisclosed role. Some believe that the actor may be playing one of the aliens with Galifianakis theorized to take on the role of Pleakly. It doesn’t seem like he might be taking on the other iconic role of Jumpa Jookiba or Gantu, but they may also change some of the characters from the original.

    We already had hints that perhaps Bubbles won’t be returning and might get replaced with a different character. So, nothing is truly set in stone at this point on how they adapt Lilo & Stitch. It would be fun if they added some Easter eggs from the TV series like Jacques von Hämsterviel or some of Stitch’s numbered siblings. They have more options to play around in expanding the film in creative ways.

    Dean Fleischer Camp is set to direct the film and it’ll be interesting to see how they try to bring the loveable yet dangerous Stitch to live-action. They’ll likely not stray too far from his design in the original animated film but just with added textures. Given that he’s an alien, they aren’t restricted to having to make him as realistic as possible. we’ll still have to wait a while until we find out but here’s hoping they can capture that Ohana spirit of the original.

    Source: Collider

  • First ‘Wonder Man’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Ben Kingsley’s MCU Return

    First ‘Wonder Man’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Ben Kingsley’s MCU Return

    It’s strange to think that Wonder Man has seemingly started production but Marvel has yet to give it an announcement or tease officially. We’ve heard it from various official outlets but Marvel is surprisingly silent about this new series that likely introduce a major player with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams. Plus, it’s a series set in Hollywood, which makes it potentially the most meta entry in the franchise.

    Marvel may not be saying anything just yet, but luckily some set photos give us a glimpse at the show in a familiar face. We first heard that Ben Kingsley would return as Trevor Slattery back in August. So, it’s crazy to see him back on set in the role rocking a rather familiar hairstyle. We last saw him in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which followed up on the short All Hail the King.

    We still know very little about what the series will be about or how it’ll explore Wonder Man’s story from Hollywood star to unlikely superhero. There’s also the question of how Slattery ends up back in Hollywood, but perhaps the actor being abducted from prison after being arrested for portraying a terrorist would get any producer’s attention. So, perhaps he is there to pitch his life story as a film to one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, who is hiding his true abilities.

    Source: Twitter via The Direct

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Stocks Drop After HBO Max Relaunch Presentation

    Warner Bros. Discovery Stocks Drop After HBO Max Relaunch Presentation

    Well, that’s not a good sign. It seems investors aren’t quite sold on the whole HBO Max renaming, as Warner Bros. Discovery’s stocks have dropped by 6%. Ever since the Discovery merger, the stocks for the company have been facing quite some troubling developments and likely aren’t adding any more pressure to its team trying to balance out its ever-increasing debt that led to the sacrifice of projects like Batgirl or a Scoob! Christmas special.

    Overall, the market has been down over Wednesday as Paramount Global, Netflix, and Disney also faced a drop but Warner Bros. had the highest at 5.8%. The Dow Jones index dropped by 38.2 points with the Nasdaq dropping 102 points or 1%. Warner Bros. Discovery held its presentation during trading hours, hoping to push everything in a more positive direction but it seems Wall Street isn’t having it. So, it seems they still have a long way to go at this point.

    In January, the company balanced out slightly after dropping below $10, as it now stands at around $15. It’s not a good sign though if they try to relaunch a three-year-old streaming service with a new name and most aren’t seeing this as a positive change. There is no analysis of just how the internet has reacted but the first ones in aren’t loving the name, as it seems to move further away from the brand that could’ve pulled in a bigger audience than a rather standard name like MAX.

    Source: Variety

  • Second ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Spinoff in Development

    Second ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Spinoff in Development

    HBO Max and Discovery+ are fusing together into the oddly named Max. Alongside the grand announcement, they have also unveiled a wide variety of series to showcase what they hope to achieve with this rebranding by moving away from the HBO label that they feared would set an expectation of only high-string dramas being part of the streaming service. Mostly, it’s a way to bring the 90-Day Fiancé offerings to the platform but it seems one CBS classic is making a return as well.

    Chuck Lorre is seemingly already working on a new series that is set in the same world as The Big Bang Theory, which would make it the second spinoff project after Young Sheldon. It’s no surprise they want to bank on that recognizable name as it ran for an impressive 12 seasons and was one of CBS’ biggest series, which will now stream exclusively on Max. Lorre famously hinted at the plans for multiple spinoffs in a 2019 interview:

    Truthfully, the reason for a spinoff is economics, and that’s not the reason to do a show. You should do a show because you have something you really love and you want to do it. Economics follow passion. If you start with economics … well, shit, become a network executive

    Chuck Lorre

    The original series actually ended because Lorre wanted to ensure the entire ensemble cast was present and after Jim Parsons, who famously played Sheldon Cooper, decided to move on with his career and instead of forcing it to continue, they wrapped it up. As of now, there’s no real confirmation on what we can expect from the spinoff or who might be its main focus. So, we’ll have to wait a bit before they move forward with the spinoff.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Full Voice Cast of DC’s ‘Creature Commandos’ Revealed

    Full Voice Cast of DC’s ‘Creature Commandos’ Revealed

    Following the announcement that Frank Grillo signed onto DC Studios’ Creature Commandos as the voice of Rick Flag Sr., the entire cast of the project was revealed by Collider. As previously explained by James Gunn, the actors providing the voices for the characters in DC Studios animated projects will also be tasked with realizing the characters in live-action should they appear in any projects down the road. With Creature Commandos set to be both the first animated and one of the first overall projects of the new DCU, it’s very possible these actors will be appearing elsewhere in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.

    In addition to Grillo, Viola Davis and Sean Gunn, who had previously been revealed to be reprising his The Suicide Squad role of Weasel but will also be voicing G.I. Robot, Creature Commandos will feature Steve Agee, returning as John Economos, Maria Bakalova making her debut as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Zoe Chao making her debut as Nina Mazursky, David Harbour making his debut as Eric Frankenstein and Alan Tudyk, a DC vet who portrayed Mr. Nobody on Doom Patrol, as Dr. Phosphorous.

    Gunn wrote the 7-episode first season of Creature Commandos, which has already entered into production which is currently without a release window.

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    Source: Collider

  • ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff, ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,’ Ordered to Series

    ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff, ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,’ Ordered to Series

    You’d think Warner Bros. is all Max’d out after announcing one project after another, but there are quite a few plans to make their re-dubbed streaming service stand out. They continue to promote the cross-platform releases of some of their biggest HBO series even as the former HBO Max has dropped its naming. Among the various announcements is that they have now confirmed that George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg will be adapted as a Game of Thrones prequel.

    The series will be titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, which is quite a long title if you include the Game of Thrones logo being part of its official reveal. The project will explore the story of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire by the name of Egg, who is described as “two unlikely heroes” by the series’ official logline.

     Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.

    The series is described as a more lighthearted spinoff, which would give the Game of Thrones franchise something a bit different compared to its usual fantasy epic drama, which was also the main focus of House of the Dragon. HBO has been quite focused on getting as many series out as possible. The title of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” with a subtitle sounds like perhaps this series will act as an anthology series that could explore different stories throughout its runtime.

    Source: Twitter, IndieWire