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  • Fewer Sequels, More Avengers in Store for the MCU

    Fewer Sequels, More Avengers in Store for the MCU

    As Bob Iger continues to reign in the free-spending gunslingers behind Disney’s big brands, fans of those brands continue to wonder what the future will hold. During an appearance Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, Iger gave some indication of what the future of Marvel Studios may hold.

    On the heels of a pair of sequels that weren’t the critical darlings that Disney had hoped they’d be, Iger indicated that Marvel Studios may reevaluate their approach to sequels.

    There are 7,000 characters, there are a lot more stories to tell. What we have to look at at Marvel is not necessarily the volume of Marvel stories we’re telling but how many times we go back to the well on certain characters. Sequels typically work well for us. Do you need a third and a fourth, for instance, or is it time to turn to other characters?

    Robert Iger

    It’s hard not to read between the lines of Iger’s comments and think about Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The former has been widely criticized for taking the wrong lessons from its much more successful predecessor, Thor: Ragnarok while the latter has been under fire for its drop-off at the box office.

    It’s not all bad news for Marvel Studios, though. Iger is confident that the future, which he loosely defined as the “next five years”, holds a lot of promise.

    There’s nothing in any way inherently off in terms of the Marvel brand. I think we just have to look at what characters and stories we’re mining. If you look at the trajectory of Marvel in the next five years, there will be a lot of newness. We’re going to turn back to the Avengers franchise with a whole new set of Avengers, for example.

    Robert Iger

    Interestingly enough, that newness includes the scheduled MCU debuts of the Punisher, Blade, Deadpool, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, none of whom are new to the superhero landscape, only the MCU; so roughly in the sense that a used car is new to you, though not truly new. Beyond that, characters such as Sentry, Wonder Man and Nova are known to be making true debuts, so it will be worth tracking which of Marvel’s 7,000 other characters get the opportunity to make the jump to the MCU.

    Iger’s comments on a “new set of Avengers” is also worth some thought. After having four Avengers films weaved throughout the Infinity Saga, each serving as “Phase enders”, the studio chose to reserve the Multiverse Saga’s Avengers films for Phase 6. With Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars set to end the Multiverse Saga, the expectations placed on those films is already staggeringly high.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘From Blood and Ash’ Series in Development at Amazon

    ‘From Blood and Ash’ Series in Development at Amazon

    Amazon is developing a series based on the best-selling From Blood and Ash series. The news comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet revealed on Thursday that the streaming service is officially developing a series adaptation of author Jennifer L. Armentrout‘s From Blood and Ash series with producer Anne Cofell Saunders (The Boys) on board to adapt the books. Along with writing, Saunders will also serve as the showrunner on From Blood and Ash. She’s set to executive produce the series along with Armentrout and Luke Ryan and Sascha Hecks of Chaotic Good Studios.

    “We are thrilled to work with Anne and Amazon Studios, who have the vision and creative capacity to bring every corner of this phenomenal world Jennifer has created to life. Our heroine, Poppy, and the characters that surround her in this rich world are the elements that expand and perpetuate properties into franchise entertainment.”

    Ryan and Hecks

    From Blood and Ash tells the story of Poppy, a young woman who is chosen at birth as The Maiden of her kingdom who will Ascend and bring in a new era of peace and prosperity. The series currently consist of four books, with the fifth installment, A Soul of Ash and Blood coming in July. Armentrout also wrote a spinoff series, Flesh and Fire, which will see the third book release in December.

    Source: Amazon.

  • Amazon Gives Two Season Order to ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’

    Amazon Gives Two Season Order to ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’

    After HBO Max passed on Batman: Caped Crusader back in August, the animated series has successfully found a new streaming home. The Hollywood Reporter announced on Thursday that Batman: Caped Crusader has received a two-season order from Amazon. According to THR, other streamers, including Hulu and Netflix, were interested at some point, but the series ultimately found a home with Amazon’s Prime Video.

    Batman: Caped Crusader hails from J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm. Legendary comic book writer Ed Brubaker is on the show’s creative team and is said to have helped run the writers room. The project was initially announced in May 2021, however, after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav took over the company last year, he sought to make necessary cuts to save money. Axing Batman: Caped Crusader and shopping the project elsewhere was one of those cuts.

    The first season consists of 10 episodes. As of now, Batman: Caped Crusader does not have a release date.

    Source: THR.

  • New Details Emerge on ‘What If…?’ Season 2’s New MCU Character

    New Details Emerge on ‘What If…?’ Season 2’s New MCU Character

    The first season of Marvel Studios animated series What If…? was a hit with critics and audiences. A second season was already in the works by the time the first episodes hit Disney Plus, but nearly a year and a half later, no word on its release has been revealed. There have been some tidbits about what to expect, however, including the fairly major news that a brand new character will be introduced to the MCU in Season 2.

    The news, via Boardwalk Times, confirms the identity of the new character as Kahhori, who was recently leaked via a Funko product. According to the Twitter account, Kahhori, a young Mohawk woman, will be the star of an episode that explores the impact of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy coming into possession of the Tesseract in pre-Colonial America.

    Additional details from Marvel.com describe the episode as a look what happens when “The Tesseract takes on a new life and a new mythology, transforming a lake into a gateway to the stars and leading Kahhori, a young Mohawk woman, on a quest to discover her power.” Writer Ryan Little scripted the episode in collaboration with members of the Mohawk nation and the episode will “take place in the Mohawk language” and from the perspective of the Mohawk people. The episode will see Kahhori have to “live up to her name (which means she stirs the forest in Mohawk) to recruit powerful allies into the fight to save her people and change the course of history forever.”

    Though no official word has come from Marvel Studios at this time, insider KC Walsh recently shared a potential timeline for the release of the second season of What If…?. According to his sources, the show is tentatively set to debut in early 2024. As Marvel Studios looks to find a better pace with their streaming releases, no time frame (even those originally shared by Marvel) should be considered etched in stone at this time.

    Source: Marvel.com

  • Keira Knightley Calls ‘Boston Strangler’ a “Love Song to Female Investigative Journalists”

    Keira Knightley Calls ‘Boston Strangler’ a “Love Song to Female Investigative Journalists”

    Between 1962 and 1964, 13 women were stalked, sexually assaulted and strangled in the Boston area. By July of 1962, word of the “Mad Strangler” or the “Phantom Strangler” had begun to spread and with that word spread fear among women in the area who believed they might be next. With the murders taking place in multiple different jurisdictions within the greater Boston area, police were slow to see the potential serial nature of them; Boston Record American journalist Loretta McLaughlin, however, was not. Working with Jean Cole, McLaughlin began investigating the murders and tying them together through evidence. In 1963, the pair published a four-part series in the Record American about the murders committed by the Boston Strangler. Though their work in connecting the cases was groundbreaking, the pair of journalists are rarely discussed in connection with the case.

    The Hulu original movie Boston Strangler, starring Keira Knightley as Loretta McLaughlin and Carrie Coon as Jean Cole, looks to shine a light on the important work done by McLaughlin and Cole in helping police tie the murders together and, eventually, identify a killer and put a stop to the serial killings. While there’s still some doubt that all 13 murders were the work of one man, the killings stopped with the arrest of Albert DeSalvo. During the global press junket for the film, Knightley spoke on the role the two women played in stopping the murders and why the story of their work, which has been ignored for so long, needs to be shared.

    Well, I think for me, this whole film is really a love song to female investigative journalists. And really highlights how important it is to have women in position of power in storytelling because it was these two women that really went, “This is an important story. This is
    information that needs to be in the public in order to keep women of Boston safe.” And I think, largely, it was a story that had been, at that point, ignored by the male establishment.

    Knightley went on to indicate that given the climate and culture at the time, it’s possible the string of murders may have gone unnoticed much longer had McLaughlin not made the connection.

    And I don’t know that their male colleagues would have seen the importance of it. So I think it’s wonderful to be part of something that is really highlighting how important it is to have as many good female journalists as you possibly can for the safety of our communities.

    Given the prominence of McLaughlin and Cole’s persistent work–even in the face of discrimination– in helping save the lives of potential victims and noticing the serial nature of the killings, Boston Strangler certainly works as a reminder of the challenges faced and overcome by women in predominantly male fields. As part of Women’s History Month, you can check out Boston Strangler on Hulu beginning March 17th.

  • ‘Tomb Raider’ Actor to Play Kuroobi in Netflix’s ‘One Piece’

    ‘Tomb Raider’ Actor to Play Kuroobi in Netflix’s ‘One Piece’

    It looks like a member of the Arlong Pirates has been uncovered for Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece. While we know that McKinley Belcher will play the big bad Arlong for some time now, we haven’t heard any news on the various members that’ll make up his group of evil Fishmen.

    His pirate crew that are making their mark on the East Blue and ruling the innocent Conomi Islands with an iron fist consisting of a small group of Fish-men from the Grand Line. While there are quite a few additional members, the main opponents the Straw Hats face are Kuroobi, Chew, and Hatchan.

    As first shared by @OP_Netflix_Fan, Warrior, and Tomb Raider actor Jandre’ Le Roux has shared in his CV that he’s taking on the role of Kuroobi. Not just that, but he also offers some insight into what we can expect from his role. He includes sword-fighting choreography for the Fish-Man Karate specialist, and highlights “fending off sword strikes and kicks” which alludes to Sanji.

    We also get another hint that the Fish-Man is going to be brought to life practically in the Netflix series. While they may still use CG to touch up some elements, he highlights that he spent his time working on One Piece, or Project Panda, “in full upper body prosthetics,” which likely made combat scenes even trickier. So, it’ll be interesting just how far they lean into the designs from the manga. Here’s hoping we get Arlong’s iconic saw-shaped nose.

    Source: iArtistManagement, Twitter

  • ‘Supergirl’ Star to Take Over as Teela in ‘Masters of the Universe: Revolution’

    ‘Supergirl’ Star to Take Over as Teela in ‘Masters of the Universe: Revolution’

    It seems like Teela will be recast in the upcoming sequel season for Kevin Smith‘s legacy sequel of the Masters of the Universe franchise. He’s currently working on Masters of the Universe: Revolution but sadly it seems not everyone will return from the previous seasons. According to Deadline, Sarah Michelle Gellar will not return in the next entry

    Instead, Supergirl star Melissa Benoist is taking over as the voice for Teela in Revolution. So far, Chris Wood, Mark Hamill, and William Shatner are the only confirmed cast for the next season. Though, we still don’t know who Shatner will play. We’ll see who else might join or take over as the series continues with a more technology versus magic focus.

    Benoist shared the following statement on joining the project:

    I jumped at the opportunity to work alongside my friend, Kevin Smith and join the Revolution family as another bold and fearless heroine. I look forward to sharing the next evolution of Teela’s story with fans

    Melissa Benoist

    It’s great to see Benoist join another major project like this and it’ll be interesting to see if Teela might have a major role in Revolution. It’s a shame that Gellar isn’t returning and perhaps she’ll find time for a small role to still remain as part of the cast moving forward without having to invest too much time. Either way, we are also likely a step closer to seeing the new Masters of the Universe finally released if they are announcing cast members.

    Source: Deadline

  • Lucasfilm Being Sued Over Star Wars Series ‘The Acolyte’

    Lucasfilm Being Sued Over Star Wars Series ‘The Acolyte’

    It looks like things aren’t going well over at Lucasfilm. After the news hit the web that two of their highest profile projects have been scrapped, Kevin Feige’s unnamed project and Patty Jenkin‘s Rogue Squadron, it seems that an even bigger mess has found its way to their doorstep. Deadline has broken the news that Lucasfilm is currently being used for firing producer Karyn McCarthy from the upcoming Star Wars Disney+ series The Acolyte.

    The project is currently being filmed, but some behind-the-scenes events may have led to this legal issue. McCarthy is famous for her work on Ballers as an executive producer and was involved with Leslye Headland‘s new Disney+ series. She was fired after working on the project for a few weeks last year. The issue arises that she turned down an offer to work on Colin Farrell‘s Sugar for Apple, as she decided to dedicate herself to Lucasfilm’s latest venture.

    In the filing the following scenario is painted:

    Two weeks later, without explanation, without reason, without justification, Lucasfilm told McCarthy it wanted out of the deal. By this time, the Apple offer was gone – Apple had to move on and found another executive producer for Sugar. McCarthy now had neither deal.

    Some might be wondering where the core issue lies, as it’s not unusual to miss out on opportunities when focusing on other projects. The firing may have just been terrible timing that added to the bitterness of the situation. Yet, it turns out that she was also not compensated for her work. So, we’ll have to see how this turns out for everyone involved.

    Source: Deadline

  • REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Thanks Its Good Soldiers for Their Service

    REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Thanks Its Good Soldiers for Their Service

    Good soldiers follow orders. The motto of the Empire’s Clone Army and the basis of the rift between CT-9904 and his Bad Batch brothers, those words are as etched in the minds of fans of Star Wars animated series nearly as deeply as in the minds of the clones. Throughout the course of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, “good soldiers follow orders” has been the rote and retaliatory response given any time evil deeds were done by Clones in the name of the Empire. Of course, following orders in the service of evil is still doing evil (indeed the phrase seems to be a reference to the “superior orders” defense that Nazi war criminals attempted to use during the Nuremberg trials, continuing a long-running allegory within the Star Wars universe) and the phrase was never going to hide the evil acts.

    Crosshair has always been severe and unyielding. It is his nature. You cannot change that. He cannot change that.

    Tech, The Bad Batch: Kamino Lost

    After a bit of a slow start, Season 2 of The Bad Batch has quickly gotten very interesting following Emperor Palpatine’s Defense Recruitment Bill. The bill not only ushered in the era of the Imperial Stormtrooper but also emphatically ended the era of the Clones, who for all their order following, were decommissioned. The latest episode, The Outpost, is a beginning-to-end indictment of the Empire’s dismissal of the Clones and a parabolic reminder that you reap what you sow. At the center of it all is Clone Force 99’s “do what needed to be done” loyalist Crosshair who by the end of the episode finds himself in a very bad place under the special care of the series’ new bad lad, Dr. Hemlock.

    I am a soldier of the Empire.

    Crosshair, The Bad Batch: The Solitary Clone
    Lieutenant Nolan in a scene from “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH”, season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    Though it’s laid on pretty thick, the episode’s depiction of the dismal treatment of the Clones seems necessary as a teaching tool not for the audience but for Crosshair. From the moment the ennuyé Imperial Officer drones on to the Clones about their service to Crosshair’s mission to Barton-4 under the uber-douchey Lt. Nolan to the anticlimactic discovery of the purpose of that mission, the humdrum pacing of The Outpost lures fans into a bit of a trap: Crosshair gonna Crosshair. And then…he doesn’t.

    This is who I am.

    Crosshair, The Bad Batch: Return to Kamino

    Having a character go against his very nature, especially one whose nature has been the sole focus of nearly every interaction with the character since the show’s debut is no small thing. What’s more, having Crosshair betray that nature in order to kill Lt. Nolan over the death of a few “regs” symbolizes a near-total metamorphosis for the Bad Batch’s resident cynic. By pulling the trigger and killing Nolan, Crosshair followed his own orders and, by his own beliefs, is no longer a good soldier despite doing what he believed needed to be done. It would seem the fate of his brothers in Clone Force 99 is destined to intertwine with his once more as the new clone king, Dr. Hemlock, now has Omega in his sights. But will the reborn Crosshair soon have Hemlock in his?

  • REVIEW: ‘The Mandalorian’ Heads to the Mines of Mandalore for a Monstrous Measure of Mythos

    REVIEW: ‘The Mandalorian’ Heads to the Mines of Mandalore for a Monstrous Measure of Mythos

    Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are playing the long game with The Mandalorian and an even longer one with the story of Mandalore. A location frequently visited and revisited in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Mandalore–and its fascinating history, culture and politics–has always been integral to the larger goings on of the galaxy and taken a pretty bad beating along the way. Over the course of the first two seasons of The Mandalorian and the first season of The Book of Boba Fett, it’s been clear that Favreau and Filoni are building towards Mandalore’s return to glory but in Chapter 18 of The Mandalorian, The Mines of Mandalore, that return to glory begins in earnest.

    As has often been said, The Mandalorian is a slow burn; however, in retrospect, it has provided Star Wars fans, both subtly and overtly, with an incredible amount of information about Mandalorian culture. “This is the Way” doesn’t carry the same meaning it did 2.5 seasons ago (that’s counting The Book of Boba Fett as the .5) because the Way has become so well-defined to the audience through the experiences of Mando, Grogu, et al. Favreau and Filoni made a decision to let the intricacies of The Way of the Mandalore be discovered over time rather than force-fed to the audience. That decision has led to a clear understanding of the differences in culture between the Children of the Watch and the rest of Mandalorian society. No greater example of that rift exists than the relationship between Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze and this Chapter exploits that rift expertly.

    Din Djarin’s visit to pouty Bo-Katan illustrates a key difference between The Children of the Watch and every other Mandalorian: faith. Against all odds, Din Djarin’s intentions to return to Mandalore and bathe in the Living Waters is an expression of the depth of his beliefs in The Way of the Mandalore; Bo-Katan’s dismissal of his quest–and her general malaise–is an expression of the lack of hers. While there’s been some controversy among fans around whether or not Din Djarin should be the one to reunite the great Houses of Mandalore and lead them to their renaissance, The Mines of Mandalore provides adequate evidence to suggest he may just be the guy. Though the depth of their zealotry seems to border on irrational, The Children of the Watch have kept the faith and Din Djarin’s experience in this Chapter rewards them for doing so.

    Chapter 5 of The Book of Boba Fett, Return of the Mandalorian, laid much of the groundwork for The Mines of Mandalore and the insane payoff within its final moments. Din Djarin’s road to redemption, as explained to him by The Armorer and Paz Vizsla, is presented as an unwalkable one. Now an apostate, his only path to being forgiven lies in the ruins of Mandalore which is believed to be uninhabitable. Moreover, the belief of the Children of the Watch is that Mandalore’s destruction is tied to a legend that points to Bo-Katan’s “undeserving” nature as the leader of the people; however, those same legends and songs, kept alive by the Children of the Watch’s adherence to The Way, prophesize a return to glory for Mandalore that will be heralded in by the rise of the Mythosaur, the heretofore unseen beasts of legend.

    2.5 seasons of The Mandalorian have partially conditioned the audience to see things much in the way they are seen by Bo-Katan. Though the Children of the Watch, exemplified by Din Djarin, continue to hold their faith as the galaxy closes in around them, how can their return to glory ever occur when it is tied to the rise of an extinct beast of myth? And Chapter 18 provides the spine-tingling answer to that question in all its glory. It’s a payoff that only works because Favreau and Filoni have let the audience slowly build their own opinions about The Way of the Mandalore and the nature of Din Djarin’s quest to redeem himself. Those who kept the faith, like Din Djarin, now see the fruits of their faith and that the future for Mandalore is bright and also probably involves Din Djarin wielding the Darksaber while riding on the back of a Mythosaur sometime very soon. It’s a story 13 years in the telling and nearly 50 years in the making and it is just getting good.