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  • Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Series Only Finished by 37% of its Domestic Viewers

    Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Series Only Finished by 37% of its Domestic Viewers

    Here’s a rather shocking reveal, but it seems Amazon’s gamble with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may have not paid off as initially hoped. The series is one of the most expensive productions out there and already has a second season on the horizon, but new internal data has revealed that the first season was only finished by 37% of its viewers domestically. Internationally, it’s not too far off at around 45% with 50% usually considered a “solid” performance.

    There’s a bit of irony to this story, as the series is not viewed as a failure, even if it didn’t even become a major awards contender either. The series had the biggest debut for the streaming service and that does mean its smaller finish rate still would rival any other series on the platform. Up until now, The Boys seems to remain their biggest release (throwing another wrench into the superhero fatigue blender) and Amazon Studios chief seemingly views The Rings of Power quite a bit more positively.

    This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally. That’s a huge opportunity for us. The first season required a lot of setting up.

    Jennifer Salke

    Netflix dominates the Nielsen ratings and there’s quite a bit of difficulty in truly pinpointing a series’ success. The service with the highest viewership seemingly also sets the highest bars of what makes a successful series. Amazon also seemingly has a problem in that there’s “no vision of what an Amazon Prime show is” which stands in an interesting juxtaposition to just how easy it is to figure out if Netflix or Disney+ is behind the wheel on a project.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • DC Studios co-CEO Weighs in on Competing with Marvel Studios

    DC Studios co-CEO Weighs in on Competing with Marvel Studios

    Marvel vs. DC is seemingly half of what makes the Internet the Internet. There’s always been a competition on who has the coolest hero, the best character developments, the most iconic moments, and whatever a nerdy brain can think up. Yet, it’s a very different picture for those involved in trying to make these companies and their projects a success.

    Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has very openly stated that he hopes to see DC succeed, as he believed it was beneficial to everyone. And now DC Studios co-CEO, James Gunn, has echoed those same words. He believes that “every movie Marvel has is sort of an advertising for comic-book films, and vice versa.”

    I think it’s the opposite. To be frank, I think the better Marvel movies do, it’s better for DC, and the better DC movies do, it’s better for Marvel. When people see bad movies, they don’t want to spend more money on seeing more movies. So you want good movies to happen, especially since we’re making two or three movies a year at DC. So every movie that Marvel has is sort of an advertising for comic-book films, and vice versa. And you don’t want to scare off people from going to the theater. And if we’re both making good movies, that’s the best of all situations, which keeps the ball bouncing back and forth. At that point, we can talk about rivalries, and it’d be fun.

    James Gunn

    It’s also fitting that the director of a Marvel and DC film feels this way, as his belief isn’t far-fetched from reality. We’ve seen all these films at their best when others succeed, as there’s a certain boost from one project going into the next. As such, these projects need each other to offer something unique to make them stand out, while also boosting their success. Here’s hoping whatever dragged the last two films down is about to take a different direction.

    Source: Rolling Stone

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s James Gunn Believes in Superhero Fatigue

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s James Gunn Believes in Superhero Fatigue

    Superhero fatigue has been all the rage right now. Mostly due to some pointing out that they’ve seemingly reached their limits and reading too much into box office performances of two distinct projects earlier this year. Shazam: Fury of the God couldn’t pull in an audience and opened with a depressing $30M while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania lost steam surprisingly fast after a bombastic opening.

    While there’s more to this given just how superhero films performed last year, James Gunn gave his thoughts on the topic and seemingly believes that there is such a thing. Yet, he points out that it’s not as simple as “superhero movies” but rather spectacle films that lack the heart that really drags us into these stories.

    I think there is such a thing as superhero fatigue. I think it doesn’t have anything to do with superheroes. It has to do with the kind of stories that get to be told, and if you lose your eye on the ball, which is character. We love Superman. We love Batman. We love Iron Man. Because they’re these incredible characters that we have in our hearts. And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring. But I get fatigued by most spectacle films, by the grind of not having an emotionally grounded story. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether they’re superhero movies or not. If you don’t have a story at the base of it, just watching things bash each other, no matter how clever those bashing moments are, no matter how clever the designs and the VFX are, it just gets fatiguing, and I think that’s very, very real.

    James Gunn

    It’s not completely wrong, as many spectacle films sometimes can overshadow the heart of the story. Ant-Man‘s third film is quite a bit “bigger” than the previous and perhaps just went overboard on what defined the franchise initially. Even Shazam‘s sequel seemingly started going in a bigger direction and there’s no surprise that the first two very family-centric franchises may have struggled a bit earlier this year.

    Of course, the topic of superhero fatigue is also quite a bit important for James Gunn, as he’s the head of the newly formed DC Studios. With him set to also direct the next Superman film that’ll define a future new cinematic universe, he’ll put a lot of weight into ensuring that fatigue doesn’t take away their opportunity to build this franchise.

    Source: Rolling Stones

  • James Gunn Reveals How Taika Waititi Saved His Vision of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’

    James Gunn Reveals How Taika Waititi Saved His Vision of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’

    It’s strange to think that there was a time when we didn’t know if we’ll see James Gunn direct the third Guardians of the Galaxy film. The director was a major part of the studio’s future before a controversy derailed everyone’s plans. Luckily by 2019, Gunn found his way back but was also quite busy directing his DC film, The Suicide Squad.

    So, many of his initial plans have gone through quite a few new directions as Avengers: Endgame was on the horizon and the film ended with Thor joining the Guardians. One thing Gunn knew was that he didn’t want to include the character in his story, but in an interview with the Rolling Stones, he reveals how Taika Waititi saved the vision of his film.

    And I didn’t think it was gonna be in there. Endgame came out right after I decided to do Guardians again. So I didn’t have much say in what was in Endgame, and then it came out and then I was like, ‘What the fuck am I gonna do?’ That’s when [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] told me Taika’s gonna do Thor, and we’ll have the Guardians in it. I said, ‘Thank God!’… To be completely honest, Thor was never going to be in this movie. Taika took a bullet for me. Because I was not going to have him in. I was just gonna start up and there’s no Thor.

    James Gunn

    So, without Thor: Love and Thunder, we might not have the true original vision of Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He had a shot to explore the Guardians a bit (ironic given he was the Internet’s top choice to continue the franchise if Gunn never managed to return) and set them off on their adventure once Thor realized his true mission was to uncover what

    Source: Rolling Stones

  • Aegon’s Conquest Eyed as a New ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel

    Aegon’s Conquest Eyed as a New ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel

    It almost seems like HBO’s entire Game of Thrones story is to build a series around the Targaryen family line rather than the many houses that exist. While there were a wide variety of projects hinted at early on, there was a hint that they are potentially readjusting their focus after the success of House of the Dragon. A new report by Variety has revealed that HBO how hopes to go even further into the Targaryen past.

    While the project is in its early stages with no writer attached, HBO seemingly wants to explore the story of Aegon the First. The story would revolve around his conquest of Westeros alongside his wives/sisters Viseny and Rhaenys. It seems they aren’t going to jump headfirst into another series but rather wants to take a different approach this time around.

    They seemingly want to produce a feature film that would then set up a series, though nothing is set in stone. As they have no writer or director attached, who knows if this project will truly move forward but it’s no surprise they want to go 300 years into the past before the events of the original Game of Thrones, as even House of the Dragon continued to praise what the original Aegon has accomplished.

    What truly stands out is HBO slowly trying to move into the theatrical market. There is an ever-growing market after the pandemic, and there is seemingly a hope to make good use of it. Game of Thrones is one of the biggest IPs that HBO has produced. So, who knows just how much potential a high-budget fantasy film would offer with the iconic dragons at war? If House of the Dragon is anything to go by, it’s no wonder they want to make use of it.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Gets First Trailer, Official Synopsis

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Gets First Trailer, Official Synopsis

    Despite the turnover at the top of the studio, DC’s Blue Beetle will release on August 18th. Audiences got their first look at the film in an exciting trailer and now a new synopsis provides a better idea of what to expect from the film by director Angel Manuel Soto.

    Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle.

    Blue Beetle stars Cobra Kai‘s Xolo Maridueña as Jamie Reyes/Blue Bettle with Raoul Max Trujillo starring as the film’s villain, Carapax. Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Belissa Escobedo and George Lopez are all featured as members of Jaime’s family.

  • A Live-Action Reimagining of ‘Moana’ Starring Dwayne Johnson is in the Works at Disney

    A Live-Action Reimagining of ‘Moana’ Starring Dwayne Johnson is in the Works at Disney

    As it continues to reimagine its vast catalog of animated classics into live-action spectacles, Disney has teamed with Dwayne Johnson to add Moana to the list. As announced by Johnson via Twitter, Disney is teaming with Seven Bucks Productions and Flynn Picture Co. to bring the 2016 hit to life. News of the product was also given to Disney Shareholders today by Bob Iger during a webcast. Johnson also announced that he would reprise the role of Maui.

    According to a statement from Disney, “Like its animated predecessor, the film will celebrate the islands, communities and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to pave her own path. Moana’s journey of self-discovery and reflection on the lives of her ancestors won hearts worldwide, as did her newfound friendship with an exiled demigod named Maui.”

    I’m deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen. This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace and warrior strength. I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me. I want to thank my partners at Disney for their strong commitment to this special endeavor, because there is no better world for us to honor the story of our people, our passion and our purpose than through the realm of music and dance, which is at the core of who we are as Polynesian people.

    Dwayne Johnson on the Moana reimagining

    Auli’i Cravalho, who served as the voice of Moana in the 2016 animated film will serve as an executive producer on the film along with Scott Sheldon, Jared Bush, who wrote the screenplay for the original film, and Dana Ledoux Miller. “She has had such a profound impact on how we think of Disney princesses,” Cravalho said of the titular character. “Moana’s strength and perseverance are inspiring—to audiences around the world, to me and to everyone who helped bring her to life. I’m looking forward to sharing her story in a whole new way.“

    At this time, no timetable has been laid out for the film as it searches for a director.

  • ‘Just Mercy’ Director of Photography Brett Pawlak Joins ‘Wonder Man’

    ‘Just Mercy’ Director of Photography Brett Pawlak Joins ‘Wonder Man’

    Production on Marvel Studios streaming series Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, looks to be getting underway in Los Angeles and while the cast has been growing by the day, the team behind the camera is also coming into focus. In a post on his Instagram, Wonder Man executive producer Destin Daniel Cretton has revealed that Brett Pawlak will serve as the series director of photography.

    A quick check of Pawlak’s resume, located on his website, confirms that Pawlak has taken the gig. Cretton and Pawlak are frequent collaborators with the two most notably teaming up on Just Mercy and the Disney Plus streaming series, American Born Chinese. Wonder Man is being written by Brooklyn 99‘s Andrew Guest and will be directed by a team consisting of Stella Meghie, James Ponsoldt and, potentially, Cretton. Of course, Cretton is also pretty busy writing the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and preparing to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so he may choose to simply oversee the creative team of Wonder Man.

    Given Marvel Studios has been ordered to drastically slow down their output of streaming series, it’s unclear when Wonder Man may stream on Disney Plus but it doesn’t seem as though it could be any sooner than late 2024.

    Sources: Instagram, brettpawlak.com

  • ‘Secret Invasion’ Trailer Hints at the Skrulls Super Plans

    ‘Secret Invasion’ Trailer Hints at the Skrulls Super Plans

    The first full trailer for the upcoming Marvel Studios streaming series, Secret Invasion, debuted recently and gave fans a little better idea of what to expect from the show when it debuts on Disney Plus on June 21st. Though it won’t be a superhero cameo fest like its comic book counterpart, Marvel Studios Secret Invasion will have quite a bit in common with the 2008 crossover event by writer Brian Michael Bendis. Most notably, the central plot revolves around a faction of Skrulls who, after years (maybe decades?) of preparation, are prepared to take over Earth. The new trailer–just like the first teaser–certainly gives off all the vibes of a paranoia-laden spy-thriller but it also gives a little better glimpse into the plans of Kingsley Ben-Adir‘s Gravik which look to give the show a heavy dose of science fiction as well.

    Taking over Earth, even when they’ve infiltrated positions of power around the globe, won’t be easy for the Skrulls. They’ll need an army and while they may have the numbers necessary to put a sizeable one together, what’s known of them from Captain Marvel would hardly make the likes of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes shudder and so, they’ll need something more. Though it’s been the subject of rumors for some time now, it’s made clear in the new trailer that Gravik isn’t your average, ordinary shapeshifting Skrull but rather something a little more…super.

    Super-Skrulls have been part of Marvel Comics since 1963’s Fantastic Four #18 and while it’s not been confirmed just yet, it seems as though Gravik is the MCU’s beta Super-Skrull. Super-Skrulls are exactly what you probably think they are: Skrulls sporting super abilities beyond that of the average Skrull. In the comics, they come in two flavors: enhanced or cloned. Whether enhanced or cloned, Super-Skrulls in the comics have been either technologically or genetically altered to enable them to express super abilities taken from other beings. And in Secret Invasion, it seems that’s exactly what Gravik is up to.

    Seen first in the teaser for the series and then again in the new trailer, in his base in a decommissioned nuclear power site in Russia, Gravik has a secret room containing dozens–maybe hundreds–of bodies, each of whom has a very interesting looking device attached to their bodies. Is this essentially a farm where cloned Super-Skrulls are waiting to be awakened and sent into action? If so, what’s stopping Gravik from sending them out to take over Earth? The answer to that seems to be tied a machine that he’s shown to be building in the teaser and the trailer. Should he complete that, he’d have an army of Super-Skrulls ready to take on Earth’s heroes when they answer the call.

    The trailer also provides some insight into where Gravik is collecting the specimens he intends to use to power up these Super-Skrulls. After first appearing in the MCU in Spider-Man: Homecoming, The United States Department of Damage Control conveniently popped up in Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Following the Chitauri invasion of Earth, Damage Control was given oversight over any and all alien artifacts from the Battle of New York. It would stand to reason that they’ve also followed the Avengers around the United States clearing up their messes following their major skirmishes. During Phase 4, it was also established that they have a supermax prison where Emil Blonsky and the Ms. Marvel villains known as the Clandestines were held. The infiltration of Damage Control could be a potential disaster…and that’s exactly what the Secret Invasion trailer indicates has happened.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is cull-1024x483.png

    While a trailer often presents things taken out of context, it sure looks like Gravik’s Skrulls have been busy getting their hands on all kinds of things they can use to power up their army of Super-Skrulls. The screenshot above may indicate that they were able obtain the hand of Cull Obsidian, a member of Thanos’ Black Order who aided him in acquiring the Infinity Stones on Earth. Cull Obsidian possessed incredible strength, speed, stamina and durability while also demonstrating the ability to heal quickly from injuries–standard, run-of-the-mill superpowers. It seems very likely that Gravik would use the DNA from the sample to provide his army of Super-Skrulls with those powers as their baseline before adding who knows what else to the mix. With the resources of Damage Control, it’s terrifying to think what Gravik could be cooking up and if he’s successful in creating an entire army of Super-Skrulls, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes might not be enough to stop them.

    With Nick Fury refusing to call his “super friends” for help in Secret Invasion, it’ll be interesting to see what the old spy pulls out of his bag of tricks to stop Gravik’s plans to take over the Earth!

  • ‘Secret Invasion’: Marvel Studios Rolls Out New Synopsis, Cast of New Streaming Series

    ‘Secret Invasion’: Marvel Studios Rolls Out New Synopsis, Cast of New Streaming Series

    Who do you trust? That question will be at the center of Marvel Studios latest streaming series, Secret Invasion, when it hits Disney Plus beginning June 21st. Unlike its comic book namesake, Marvel Studios Secret Invasion won’t be an epic, Avengers crossover event but rather a paranoia-laden spy thriller with the spy of all spies, Nick Fury, right in the middle of it all. Marvel Studios recently rolled out the first full trailer for the new series and also provided an official synopsis and partial cast list for the show!

    In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

    Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury will be joined by Talos, once again brought to life by Ben Mendelsohn. They will be joined by fellow MCU returnees Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross and Don Cheadle as James Rhodes. Kingsley Ben-Adir joins the MCU as Gravik, the leader of an extremist faction of Skrulls that includes Emilia Clarke‘s G’iah, the daughter of Talos, and Killian Scott, whose Skrull character has not been officially named but has been referred to as Fiz in various reports. Charlayne Woodard, who is rumored to play Nick Fury’s wife, Priscilla, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher McDonald, Katie Finneran and Olivia Colman, who will play MI6 operative Sonya Falsworth, were also revealed to be part of the cast.

    Ali Selim (Manhunt, Condor) directed and executive-produced Secret Invasion, along with fellow executive producers Kevin Feige, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Samuel L. Jackson, Kyle Bradstreet and Brian Tucker. Bradstreet is also the head writer, and Jennifer L. Booth, Allana Williams and Brant Englestein serve as co-executive producers.