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  • ‘Scream VI’ Looks To Break $35 Million Opening Weekend Record

    ‘Scream VI’ Looks To Break $35 Million Opening Weekend Record

    Scream VI is hitting screens Friday, March 10, and early reports suggest that the film could see at least $35 million from its opening weekend. The latest Scream film will have big shoes to fill as the industry expects it to improve over 2022’s Scream, which debuted at $30 million. Scream VI will likely see steep competition as the box officer leader, Creed III, has firm control of ticket sales and is expected to have a decent holdover going into its second weekend.

    Of course, something working in the film’s favor is that the long-running Scream horror series is very popular and found success last year with $81 million domestically. Following the success of 2022’s Scream, Paramount quickly crafted another installment, promoting this year’s film with the infamous knife-wielding masked murderer fans have openly embraced.

    Scream VI tells the story of survivors looking for a fresh start in New York. However, things quickly turn as they stumble upon a new Ghostface killer and a bloody rampage. The latest installment stars Melissa Barrera, Jenny Ortega, and Courteney Cox, and sees the return of Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed. It

  • ‘The Batman’ Producer Reveals Planned Start of Production for the Sequel

    ‘The Batman’ Producer Reveals Planned Start of Production for the Sequel

    As DC Studios is remade under co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran, Matt Reeves suite of Gotham-based projects remain part of the plan. While they’ll be apart from the main DCU as part of the new Elseworlds banner, projects such as The Penguin and the recently announced The Batman-Part II are integral components of the future of the studio.

    Set photos of Collin Farrell recently revealed that the HBO Max series, The Penguin, has begun production ahead of its expected 2024 release. Now, thanks to producer Michael Uslan, fans can also look forward to production on the sequel to 2022’s The Batman getting underway this year as well.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CpeTkA6gp9E/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    The Batman-Part II is tentatively slated for a November 2023 start of production, providing nearly two years for Reeves to craft the film before of its scheduled October 5, 2023 release. With the project on Pace for a late 2023 start of production, casting for the film should get underway over the next couple of months providing fans with an opportunity to begin to gleam some clues of the sequel’s story.

  • ‘Rogue Squadron’ and Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Films Dead in the Waters of Dagobah

    ‘Rogue Squadron’ and Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Films Dead in the Waters of Dagobah

    Lucasfilm has a Star Wars film slated for release in December of 2025 but, as of right now, there doesn’t seem to be a project ready to fill the coveted spot. As Disney continues to evolve following Bob Iger’s return to the reigns of the company, word has come that Patty Jenkins‘ Rogue Squadron and Kevin Feige‘s project are no longer in development.

    Rogue Squadron’s status has been in doubt for some time now but this is the first time Feige’s project, which was reportedly being written by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scribe Michael Waldron, has been said to be on the chopping block since it was announced in 2019. As THR points out, with Waldron scripting Avengers: Secret Wars and Feige continuing to the steer the MCU ship to that endpoint, the pair are too busy to work on their Star Wars project at the moment.

    With those two films out of the running for the 2025 spot, projects by Taika Waititi and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy could fill it though it’s unclear just how far along I’m development those projects are. Perhaps with Star Wars Celebration 2023 just around the corner, perhaps Lucasfilm will shed some light on the subject.

    Source: Variety

  • Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll Left Out of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll Left Out of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

    As the exciting news that Jon Bernthal is set to join Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio in the jump from the Netflix Defenders-verse to the MCU, comes the devastating news that Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, who starred as Foggy Nelson and Karen Page in the Defenders-verse shows, will not be part of the MCU. As production gets underway on Daredevil: Born Again, THR reports that Henson and Woll were not brought on board for the new series.

    As the THR report points out, it is unclear if the characters of Foggy and Karen will be recast with different talent or if the characters are simply not part of the plan for the 18-episode Disney Plus streaming series.

    Updating…

    Source: THR

  • Jon Bernthal Back as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again

    Jon Bernthal Back as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again

    Jon Bernthal‘s performance as a tortured Frank Castle was one of the highlights of Netflix’s Defenders-verse. Over 1 season of Daredevil and 2 seasons of The Punisher, Berthanl brought the controversial character to life and now fans will get more as he’s set to return as the character in Daredevil: Born Again.

    Bernthal joins stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onoforio as talent that has made the jump from the popular Netflix series to the MCU. Marvel Studios has given no indication that Daredevil: Born Again will pick up where the Netflix series left off and Cox has continuously referred to the new series as “a whole new deal.” Whatever the case, it would seem that Bernthal’s interpretation of the character may have to change a bit to fit the more family-friendly tone of Marvel Studios Disney Plus series.

    Daredevil: Born Again, an 18-eisode series, is in production now and slated for release sometime in 2024.

    Source: THR

  • RUMOR: James Spader Set to Return to the MCU as Ultron

    RUMOR: James Spader Set to Return to the MCU as Ultron

    Over decades of Marvel Comics, Ultron has never stopped finding a way to return as a thorn in the side of the Avengers. It appears his cinematic counterpart is going to take up that habit as well. A new rumor shared by the mods at Reddit points to the return of the rogue A.I. in an upcoming Marvel Studios property.

    According to the rumor shared in Tales from the Mod Queue, James Spader will return as the voice of Ultron for Armor Wars. Originally announced as a streaming series, Armor Wars is now getting the big-screen treatment and giving James Rhodes his time to take center stage. Though it’s currently not on the slate, rumors have suggested that the film could go into production as early as late 2023.

    Fans have hoped for the return of Spader, whose Ultron is one of the MCU’s best and most memorable villains, for some time. While the plot of Armor Wars is unknown, it is said to spin out of Rhodes’ arc in Secret Invasion. In the comics, Armor Wars centered around the technology of Tony Stark falling into the hands of criminals who used it to enhance their own suits. Given that Stark created Ultron in the MCU, it would be terrifying to think that he kept some sort of backup that could allow for the reemergence of the AI should it fall into the wrong hands.

    Yassir Lester has been tasked with scripting Armor Wars for Marvel Studios which producer Nate Moore said was being developed as a film to allow for some of Lester’s big ideas to be realized under a big budget.

    Source: Reddit

  • ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Reportedly Facing a Lengthy Delay

    ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Reportedly Facing a Lengthy Delay

    The Marvel Studios slow down was bound to cascade. As the studio pulls back under a mandate from Bob Iger to space out their projects, a new rumor suggests that the Multiverse Saga will face a delay of almost 3 years compared to the slate revealed at SDCC ’22.

    According to anonymous sources in contact with the mods at r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers/, Avengers: Secret Wars, the final project in the Multiverse Saga which was originally slated to release on November 7, 2025, will now be pushed until 2028. The report goes on to add further speculation that part of the reason for the delay would be to release the final movie of the Multiverse Saga on the 20th anniversary of the MCU which began in 2008 with Iron Man.

    While several projects are said to be delayed following this new mandate from Iger, no official word has come from Disney on any changes to the MCU slate since Iger’s return. The last update to Marvel Studios’ slate came in October when the following changes were made:

    BLADE moved from 11/3/23 to 9/6/24

    UNTITLED DEADPOOL MOVIE moved from 9/6/24 to 11/8/24

    FANTASTIC FOUR moved from 11/8/24 to 2/14/25

    UNTITLED MARVEL moved from 2/14/25 to 11/7/25

    AVENGERS: SECRET WARS moved from 11/7/25 to 5/1/26

    Presumably, Disney will address any official changes to the slate in the near future with the upcoming CinemaCon providing one possible opportunity. Until then, it’s best not to start tattooing release dates just yet.

    Source: Reddit

  • BOOK REVIEW: ‘Batcat’ by Meggie Ramm

    BOOK REVIEW: ‘Batcat’ by Meggie Ramm

    I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of BATCAT. Between the cover and the title, though, I was sure this would be a story I’d enjoy… and I was right. BATCAT is a story for all-ages. It follows Batcat, who as the name would suggest, is part bat and part cat. Batcat is happy to stay home, play video games and eat junk food… but when a mysterious ghost shows up and ruins Batcat’s day-to-day routine, they set out on a journey to try and get rid of the pesty ghost. But along the way, Batcat will learn that there is more to life – and the people and beings that we meet along the way – that will leave a lasting impression on them when all is said and done.

    BATCAT might seem like a silly book upon first glance. A huge marshmallow-type creature that is part cat and part cat? Sure, it can seem ridiculous. But it’s really more than a silly little story. Throughout the story, Batcat has plenty to learn. Eager to be gone of his new ghost friend, Batcat is quick to jump to conclusions about this new character that they haven’t bothered to really get to know. And rather than take the time to do just that, Batcat immediately seeks to get rid of their problem guest. But as Batcat will quickly learn, we can’t just make presumptions about people. While it is easy to do so, it’s vital to remember everyone is more than just one thing – we are all more than meets the eye. For Batcat, it’s a lesson they only learn after realizing they’re not all cat nor are they all bat.

    BATCAT is the type of book that should be stored in classrooms. Readers of all ages will devour this cute little graphic novel. Not only does it teach readers compassion, but it also includes plenty of humor with plenty of cute drawings.

    Note: The ARC I received for review was in black and white, which did make it hard to really read at times. However! The final copy of BATCAT will be in full color, and the sneak-peek at the coloration for BATCAT only seems to improve on this adorable story.

    BATCAT will be released on March 28th through Amulet Books.

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3’ to Have the Longest Runtime of the Trilogy; Still Too Short for You

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3’ to Have the Longest Runtime of the Trilogy; Still Too Short for You

    With just under two months to go until the May debut of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, director James Gunn has remained fairly active in social media discussions about the film despite being engrossed in his new role as co-chair of DC Studios. The final installment in Gunn’s Guardians trilogy promises to be an emotional roller coaster as it brings an end to the story of this iteration of the team and not every member is expected to survive their encounter with the film’s villain, Chukwudi Iwuji‘s High Evolutionary.

    Gunn has consistently praised Iwujij’s performance in the film and recently took to Instagram to hype the High Evolutionary, who is responsible for the experiments/torture of Rocket. Gunn’s post simply teased “Can’t wait for you all to meet this guy” along with a creepy picture of High Evolutionary’s face stretched over some enhancements but fans took the chance to interact with Gunn to ask about the film’s runtime.

    Though he didn’t give an exact runtime for the sequel, Gunn did respond that “It’s longer than 1 & 2.” As can be seen here, Guardians of the Galaxy checked in at 2 hours and 2 minutes and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at 2 hours and 17 minutes, a runtime that included 5 stingers. Gunn’s statement means that not only will Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 be the longest Guardians film but also the longest film of his directorial career and one of the ten longest MCU films. That checks out as there’s a lot to do in the film. Time will have to be spent on exposition about the High Evolutionary and Adam Warlock, exploring the new dynamics of the Guardians with a time-displaced Gamora, killing someone(s) and setting the stage for the future of the team. Given all that, a 2 hour and 18+ minute runtime seems fair.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 debuts in theaters on May 5th!

  • Disney’s ‘Zorro’ Project Adds ‘Game of Thrones’ Vet as Showrunner

    Disney’s ‘Zorro’ Project Adds ‘Game of Thrones’ Vet as Showrunner

    Back in December of 2021, we learned that Disney has cast Wilmer Valderrama as its new Zorro. Disney TV was developing the project which was going to be a period piece set in Pueblo de Los Angeles with a telenovela style. After a long silence on the project, it seems it is moving forward after all, as it has added Game of Thrones‘ Bryan Cogman as its writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

    The series is described as a “bold reimagining of Disney’s classic series for a modern audience.” Cogman makes a great get for the series, as he’s worked for eight seasons on Game of Thrones, even ending the series’ run as a co-executive producer and having written eleven episodes. He also was involved with Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and wrote the screenplay for Disney’s live-action remake of The Sword in the Stone.

    It’ll be interesting to see if they are still focusing on a telenovela style now that they added Cogman as its showrunner. His experience is more with high-fantasy series which might make for a unique take on the Zorro character, but who knows how far they’ve already gotten working on the project since that initial casting announcement over a year ago. We’ll have to wait a bit to find out what Disney’s take on the iconic caped crusader might look like.

    Source: Deadline