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  • Marvel Confirms the Identity of Emilia Clarke’s ‘Secret Invastion’ Character

    Marvel Confirms the Identity of Emilia Clarke’s ‘Secret Invastion’ Character

    The identity of Emilia Clarke‘s character in the upcoming Marvel Studios streaming series, Secret Invasion, has been the subject of rumors and speculation since it was announced that the actress had joined the project. She’s been said to be playing Veranke, Abigail Brand and, more recently, said to be a Skrull named G’iah by insider Daniel RPK. Not everyone can be right…or can they?…but now Marvel Studios has made it official via a special look at the series from Vanity Fair.

    As shared by Daniel RPK, Clarke is playing the Skrull G’iah, the daughter of Talos, who audiences first met in 2019’s Captain Marvel. “Remember when Ben [Mendelsohn] was there with his wife and daughter? She’s the little Skrull girl grown up. She’s his daughter,” revealed Secret Invasion star Samuel L. Jackson. The character of G’iah was first introduced in Marvel Comics in 2019’s Meet the Skrulls, which has long been rumored to have partially inspired Marvel Studios streaming series.

    While the identity of Clarke’s character may not be a huge surprise (Marvel Studios made it pretty clear at the end of Captain Marvel that the character would return in some way), her role in the project might be: she’s part of an extremist group of Skrulls, led by Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik, who believed Talos had failed them, decided to stop waiting to find a new home and have begun taking over Earth. “It’s hardened her for sure. There’s a kind of punk feeling that you get from this girl,” said Clarke of growing up amidst the Kree-Skrull War as the daughter of a Skrullian leader. “She’s a refugee kid who’s had Talos for a dad, you know what I mean? Maybe the fact that we didn’t know he had a kid up until this point tells you everything you need to know about their relationship. There is a lot of angst and pain and anger and resentment. The group themselves are kind of anti-Talos.“

    These people promised a lot of stuff a long time ago, and not a lot has happened. So understandably, a certain amount of resentment has been built. There’s a lot of emotions that live within her, and there’s a lot of confrontational aspects to her character that have come from circumstance. You understand why she has the feelings that she does.

    Emilia Clarke

    Secret Invasion will certainly paint these extremist Skrulls in a different–and much more comic-accurate–light than in Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home where they were victims of an ongoing war and even allies to humanity. Now that Gravik’s extremist faction is ready to move to the next step of their takeover of Earth, having G’iah and Talos on opposite sides will make for a very compelling arc when the series hits Disney Plus in June.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • ‘Green Knight’ Director David Lowery Helmed an Episode of ‘Skeleton Crew’

    ‘Green Knight’ Director David Lowery Helmed an Episode of ‘Skeleton Crew’

    Jon Watts‘s Star Wars streaming series, Skeleton Crew, wrapped principal photography some time ago but news about the show’s stable of directors is only just now trickling out. After it was recently revealed that Academy Award-winning directors The Daniels were behind the camera for one episode, it’s now been confirmed that David Lowery directed an episode of the series as well.

    One Take News originally shared the news of Lowery’s association with the show, news that was quickly confirmed via THR’s Aaron Couch. Lowery has worked with Disney before, first on 2016’s Pete’s Dragon and recently on Peter Pan & Wendy, which will stream on Disney Plus in April.

    Skeleton Crew, like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka, is set during the New Republic era of the Star Wars timeline. That largely unexplored timeframe, set between the fall of the Empire and the rise of the First Order, has proven to be fertile storytelling ground so far under the purview of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. Skeleton Crew will star Jude Law and, according to Lucasfilm, “tells the story of four kids who find themselves lost in in the vastness of the galaxy trying to find their way home.”

    Source: OTN

  • Latest BTS Photos from ‘Captain America 4’ Provide First Look at Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross, Tim Blake Nelson’s Villainous Leader

    Latest BTS Photos from ‘Captain America 4’ Provide First Look at Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross, Tim Blake Nelson’s Villainous Leader

    Harrison Ford and Tim Blake Nelson were the latest actors to be captured on the set of Captain America: New World Order. The set photos, courtesy of Just Jared, show Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns.

    A close look at Nelson shows the actor sporting a touch of green, indicating that the scenes shot today probably involved a mix of practical and VFX to run the actor into the villainous, gamma-infused Leader!

    News of Nelson’s return as the Leader was first announced back in September 2022 as part of Marvel Studios’ D23 presentation. The actor first portrayed the character in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. This will mark his long-awaited return, following rumors that initially had the character set to appear in She-Hulk. As for Ford, reports of his casting first circulated in October 2022. They were quickly confirmed, with the actor officially taking over the role of Ross for late actor William Hurt.

    The film, which sees Anthony Mackie take over the mantle of Captain America, is in production now. It is being directed by Julius Onah and will hit theaters on May 3rd, 2024.

    Source: Just Jared.

  • ‘Beef’s Lee Sung Jin Joins Marvel Studios ‘Thunderbolts’ as Writer

    ‘Beef’s Lee Sung Jin Joins Marvel Studios ‘Thunderbolts’ as Writer

    Here’s an interesting surprise, while the upcoming adaptation of the iconic villain team Thunderbolts is preparing to film later in June, the announcement has just dropped that Lee Sung Jin, the creator, and showrunner of Netflix’s upcoming Beef series, has joined the production as a writer.

    He is taking over writing duties from Black Widow‘s Eric Pearson, who was initially attached to the project. This would mark his first writing credit on a feature film, however after working on various shows like Tuca & Bertie, Dave, and Silicon Valley. It does reunite the writer with Steven Yeun, who has joined Thunderbolts in an unknown role and was one of the main leads in Beef.

    I’m rewriting it. It’s the whole squad again. Jake asked me if I would come on board. I probably should have taken a break, but there’s a lot of themes and exciting things about the movie that I couldn’t help but sign on.

    Lee Sung Jin

    He goes on to highlight how different it is working on a project for Marvel Studios with director Jake Schreier‘s spearheading the project.

    It’s truly an honor to be part of a Marvel thing, but it is very different. One, it’s not my project, it’s Jake’s. It’s such a large scope and scale that the type of writing is very different. At the same time, the process feels the same, I’m still talking to Jake every day. … I think once you find the squad of people you love and trust and are so talented, you do everything you can to keep working with them.

    Lee Sung Jin

    While there have been more additional rewrites happening for Marvel Studios’ films, this is actually closer to how they functioned in Phase 3. Most of their films went through a variety of writers before they started filming and we’re seeing that extra layer of attention to ensure the script is as tight as it can be.

    Thunderbolts will be their first attempt at a new ensemble team since Eternals, which didn’t quite hit it with audiences as they may have hoped. Still, the team will include some fan favorites and characters we haven’t seen in some time. The only question remains how long Jin has already been involved with writing and if they’ll have the script finalized before filming starts later this year.

    Source: Variety

  • Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ Sequel to Feature Clayface

    Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ Sequel to Feature Clayface

    While we still have little to no information on what to expect in a The Batman sequel, a rather curious little detail may have unveiled one of the main antagonists in Matt Reeves‘ expanding Elseworld DC universe. In an article by Deadline on a pitch by Mike Flanagan for an original film based around the Batman rogue Clayface, they unveil that he will also be featured in The Batman Part 2.

    There is no word though if Flanagan‘s take might actually occur within the other universe, or might be part of the greater James Gunn and Peter Safran DC Universe. Reeves has his own plans that are seemingly moving forward even as Warner Bros. Discovery aims to establish a single universe. The Penguin spinoff is currently filming and we also know of one more project focused on Arkham Asylum that seemingly is still in early development.

    Clayface as a villain in the more down-to-earth take on the Dark Knight opens up many new avenues. While the popular choice was Mr. Freeze given how Gotham ended up flooded at the end of the first film, who knows if they’ll truly take the actor background that many connect with the character of Clayface, the man once known as Basil Karlo.

    They might take another more grounded take or slowly expand Batman’s world into the supernatural after the first was a classic noir. The only one who knows is Matt Reeves and we’ll have to wait a bit longer until we get our first look or hint at what the sequel has to offer. Once castings start, then we’ll likely truly know more.

    Source: Deadline

  • Sony to Release ‘Spider-Verse’ Short, “The Spider Within” This June

    Sony to Release ‘Spider-Verse’ Short, “The Spider Within” This June

    Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks plan to release a new original short called The Spider Within. The new animation will debut exclusively at the Animation Film Festival just a little more than a week after the June 2nd release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The short, which is set in Sony’s animated Spider-Verse, shows a day in the lif of Miles Morales as he struggles to balance teenagehood, friends, and student life as Spider-Man.

    The Spider Within is part of more significant efforts, including a mentoring program that provides high-potential candidates from underrepresented groups access to leadership opportunities. LENS (Leading and Empowering New Storytellers) supports the journey of candidates as they work together with program creators and producers Michelle Raimo Kouyate (Puss In Boots, Silver Linings Playbook) and David Schulenburg (Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham) to produce a short animation.

    Kouyate and Sculenberg expressed their gratitude for the new pathways created, saying:

    We are very grateful to be part of a studio that is doing meaningful work to give voice to varied groups and to the studio leadership…who gave rise to this program and supported us every step along the way.

    Joint statement from Michelle Raimo Kouyate and David Schulenburg

    Launched last year, LENS is entering its second cycle, allowing this year’s participants to create a short film that aligns with “K-Pop: Demon Hunters,” an animated musical action adventure.

    Source: Variety

  • Mike Flanagan Has Pitched a ‘Clayface’ Movie to DC Studios

    Mike Flanagan Has Pitched a ‘Clayface’ Movie to DC Studios

    Mike Flanagan, who has developed some of the biggest shows for Netflix in recent years (Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club), has reportedly pitched a new movie to DC Studios. According to Deadline, Flanagan is said to have pitched a Clayface movie to Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios. The project, as of now, is only a pitch, something Flanagan stressed on Twitter. However, should the project move forward, it’s said Clayface would not be a bad guy in the film, despite his comic history as a supervillain.

    https://twitter.com/flanaganfilm/status/1641164300525113344?s=20

    Deadline has also noted that Clayface could actually make an appearance in Matt Reeves‘ The Batman 2. The outlet does note that scripts are “constantly changing,” however, the character is said to be a big addition to that project. Of course, the Clayface potentially introduced in Reeves’ movie wouldn’t necessarily be the same one used in DC Studios’ Chapter One, as it’s currently unclear where Reeves’ universe falls in that world as it is.

    As of now, Flanagan’s involvement with a Clayface project seems to be in the very, very early stages. Flanagan has shown interest in the past regarding working on a Clayface project, so it’s not entirely surprising that he’s pitched the potential film to DC Studios, whether or not the studio opts to move forward with his pitch remains to be seen.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘House of Dragon’ Will See Shorter Season 2 as the Series Reconfigures for a Four Season Run

    ‘House of Dragon’ Will See Shorter Season 2 as the Series Reconfigures for a Four Season Run

    The fate of HBO’s House of Dragon is beginning to take shape. As production begins shortly for the prequel’s sophomore season, critical choices are being made that will define the show’s overall landscape. Those choices, being made in part by showrunner Ryan Condal and author/executive producer Geroge R.R. Martin, include a reduced episode count for Season 2 as the look to outline and define the future of the series. As of now, The House of Dragon creative team envisions three to four seasons of the series.

    Still, as season three awaits final confirmation, it is unclear what the absolute number of seasons will be, but in October, Martin spoke excitedly about the series potentially extending to four seasons:

    I am thrilled that we still have 10 hours every season to tell our tale…It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons…

    George R.R. Martin

    Whatever the decision, the series has the support of Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO’s parent company. It received a 200 million dollar marketing campaign last year that was a driving force for its huge August 2022 premiere and subsequent season two renewal shortly after.

    Source: Deadline

  • Ryan Coogler Is Eyeing ‘X-Files’ Reboot at Disney

    Ryan Coogler Is Eyeing ‘X-Files’ Reboot at Disney

    Black Panther director Ryan Coogler utilizes his talents on and off the big screen. This time, he is reviving a well-known show. Reportedly, Coogler is looking into The X-Files, a science fiction series that followed FBI agents as they investigate paranormal cases. The series originally ran for nine seasons from 1993 to 2002 before two additional seasons ran in 2016 and 2018. Two films, The X-Files and The X-Files: I Want to Believe, were also spawned by the series’ sprawling mythology.

    The information about the new take on the show came via creator Chris Carter, who explained that Coolger is working on the reboot during an interview celebrating the original show’s 30-year anniversary.

    I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount ‘The X-Files’ with a diverse cast. So he’s got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory.

    Chris Carter

    Coogler and 20th Century Television reps have yet to confirm. The project, which is in early development, falls under Coogler’s five-year deal with Disney. While it’s currently unclear which network might land the series, Variety indicates that Hulu is a strong contender.

    Source: Variety

  • REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Pays a Heavy Toll in Two-Part Season Finale

    REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Pays a Heavy Toll in Two-Part Season Finale

    Season 2 of The Bad Batch has spent a great deal of time establishing the titular team as a burgeoning family. Following the harrowing events of the Season 1 finale, the team slowly retreated from their mercenary missions and turned their focus towards building a new life for themselves in a galaxy that continues to rapidly evolve around them. In Summit and Plan 99, the two-part finale to the sophomore season, Clone Force 99 is reminded just how much they have evolved and that you can only lose what you already have.

    While the preceding episode, Tipping Point, seemed to put al the ducks in a row for the finale, writers Jennifer Corbett (Plan 99) and Matt Michnovetz (Summit) did wonderful work in subverting expectations of a predictable sequence of events–thanks almost entirely to Saw Gerrera’s interloping–in the finale even if the end result was probably on everyone’s bingo card. The dual episodes made good on quite a few of the season’s ongoing developments and left enough hanging to allow Season 3 (Lucasfilm hasn’t officially announced a third season yet but it seems extremely likely even as Disney cuts back) to get off to a strong start.

    (L-R): Wrecker and Hunter in a scene from “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH”, season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    The sacrifice and subsequent loss of Tech is probably most emblematic of the progress the series–and Clone Force 99–made this season. Undoubtedly the most annoying member of the team over the first season, Tech’s growth into an almost identifiable human, complete with emotions and everything, is a constant reminder that these clones are all more than their special purposes. While he didn’t wear them comfortably, Tech’s father-daughter relationship with Omega along with his new, romantic relationship with Phee were evidence that there was more out there for the Batchers than running merc missions. And just as they began to realize what they had, it was taken from them by the sheisty Doctor Hemlock and a vengeful Cid.

    Speaking of Hemlock, the full scope of his and Sleepy Sheev Palpatine’s sinister plan isn’t revealed in Tipping Point, which includes a great cameo by Ben Mendelsohn’s Orson Krennic updating Tarkin on Project Stardust, or Plan 99 but Omega’s role in it is. While the easy money was on Omega’s DNA being so special that it would crack the whole cloning process wide open, the finale revealed that Hemlock simply wanted Omega as a means to further manipulate Kaminonan clone queen Nala Se to work for the Empire. For the time being, Omega’s unaltered genetic code seems of little to no interest to Hemlock. Can the same be said, however, for Emerie Karr, whose identity as a sister clone of Omega’s was revealed in Plan 99? Karr does seem to have her own agenda and revealing herself to Omega only furthers that suspicion.

    Summit and Plan 99 worked together to provide an emotional gut punch that wouldn’t have been possible without some of the groundwork laid throughout the season. With Tech seemingly dead, Omega and Crosshair in the clutches of Hemlock and Ord Mantell no longer a safe haven for the remaining members of the Bad Batch, the not-yet-announced-but-all-but-a-sure-thing two-part Season 3 premiere is set up for an emotional return to Pabu before a high stakes rescue of the imprisoned clones. Season 2, taken in its totality, feels like the second act of a three-part story which would mean Season 3 would be the end of the line for the stories of Clone Force 99. Now that they have so much to lose, Season 3 is set up to be a helluva ride.