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  • ‘Zootopia,’ ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Frozen’ Sequels Ordered by Disney

    ‘Zootopia,’ ‘Toy Story,’ ‘Frozen’ Sequels Ordered by Disney

    On Wednesday, Disney held its first quarter earnings call. While most of the news centered on Bob Iger‘s plans for Disney, both regarding staff cuts and its streaming goals for Disney+, Iger also teased some big films for the studio. During the call, Iger announced that Disney will be revising some of its biggest animated titles, including Toy Story.

    “Today I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises: Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia,” he said during the call. “We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises.”

    Disney’s decision to revisit these properties shouldn’t be all that surprising. Together, all four Toy Story films have earned over $2 billion at the worldwide box office. The franchise has even spawned multiple animated shorts including Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation and Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex, as well as two television shorts Toy Story of Terror and Toy Story That Time Forgot.

    Reports of a third Frozen film have been circulating for some time now, however, this marks the first time Disney has confirmed it is in the works. The move comes after Disney launched Olaf’s Presents on Disney+ last year. To date, both Frozen films have amassed over $2 billion at the box office. The most surprising film noted here is Zootopia, a project that was said to be getting a sequel a while ago after earning $1.023 billion at the worldwide box office. That film, like the others, also spawned a Disney+ series with Zootopia+, which expanded upon scenes from the film.

    As of now, none of the projects have release dates.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Echo’ Producer Teases Marvel Studios “Grounded” Streaming Series

    ‘Echo’ Producer Teases Marvel Studios “Grounded” Streaming Series

    Despite plenty of rumors to the contrary, Marvel Studios’ streaming series Echo is coming to Disney Plus sooner or later. While based on comments by showrunner Marion Dayre it seems that the series won’t make its initial release window, Echo isn’t in the dire straits many rumors seemed to indicate it might be. In fact, according to Marvel Studios Parliament member and producer Stephen Broussard, things are progressing nicely on the show.

    “[Production] is going well,” Broussard told Collider. “It’s very different. Like, talking about Werewolf by Night to this. It’s a very different tonal sort of thing. I don’t want to say too much because there’s not a whole lot out there in the world, but it feels very grounded, it feels very spiritual in ways that feel fresh for us.“

    Echo will tell the next chapter in Alaqua Cox‘s Maya Lopez’s MCU story following her introduction in Hawkeye. Cox will be the first Native American female to lead her own MCU series and Broussard says both she and the series are setting up as special. “Alaqua as the lead is incredibly compelling,” said Broussard of the star. “I’m sort of hard-pressed to think of something that it feels like outside in the broader realm of the MCU,” he said of Echo, “let alone within what we’ve done here. So stay tuned on that really cool stuff. It’s always about embracing whatever it is, right? Like embracing a Universal Hammer Horror film, kind of leaning into that and, I think leaning into what’s unique about any viewing property. What’s unique about this property is that it’s much more grounded, and it’s in rural Oklahoma, which is where it takes place. So it’s fun, and it’s been an amazing teamwork, and working with that team behind the scenes.”

    Footage from Echo was screened exclusively at D23 and got quite a reaction from the crowd and not only for the scene featuring Maya’s reunion with Wilson Fisk. It’s good to hear a positive update about the series following months of negative rumors and speculation. Echo will likely stream sometime in late 2023 or early 2024 on Disney Plus.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Werewolf By Night’ Was Just the Beginning of Marvel Studios’ Foray into Horror

    ‘Werewolf By Night’ Was Just the Beginning of Marvel Studios’ Foray into Horror

    Marvel Studios’ first Special Presentation, Werewolf By Night, was largely successful with critics and audiences alike when it debuted in late 2022. The self-contained story didn’t explicitly set the table for another Marvel Studios horror romp, but it did make it clear that monsters have and continue to exist in the MCU. The studio’s long-awaited Blade film is gearing up for a late May start of production and will introduce audiences to another dark corner of the universe but according to Marvel Studios Parliament member Stephen Broussard, these two projects are just the beginning of Marvel’s foray into horror.

    “Well, I will say that we’re starting to introduce some cool characters that are in the darker side, the more monster side and the supernatural and the occult, in a very organic way as you’re seeing these characters pop up,” said Broussard. “I think in very organic ways, it feels like there could be ways to continue those stories in ways that feel very fresh and new and keeping our toe in that horror side of things.“

    Marvel Comics has a long and distinguished stable of monsters, ghouls, ghosts and demons that would make for thrilling streaming series or films. Werewolf By Night only skimmed the surface of a giant pool of possibilities and gave fans the itch for more. Keeping the talented Gael García Bernal‘s Jack Russell at the center of their efforts would be a wise choice and telling more stories involving the surprisingly wonderful relationship between Russell and Man-Thing while they meet and introduce new monsters to the MCU might just be the surest path to success.

    Source: Comic Book

  • REVIEW: Palpatine’s Political Acumen Takes Center Stage in ‘The Bad Batch’

    REVIEW: Palpatine’s Political Acumen Takes Center Stage in ‘The Bad Batch’

    Star Wars has always been just as much of a political allegory as hit has been a series of adventures in a galaxy far, far away. The allegory certainly became more overt during the prequels, however, as those stories took the audience into the Galactic Senate where Sleepy Sheev Palpatine played the long game and finally imposed his authoritarian rule over the galaxy. Sheev’s shifty and shady machinations all served his own endgame and the Senator from Naboo used anybody and everybody he could on his way to becoming the Emperor. Once someone served Palpatine’s purpose, no amount of loyalty or years of service could spare them, a lesson towards which Season 2 of The Bad Batch had slowly been building before Episodes 7 and 8 brought the idea into the spotlight.

    The Bad Batch has taken its time dealing with the fallout from the destruction of Kamino seen in the Season 1 finale but The Clone Conspiracy and Truth and Consequences do a wonderful job of finally putting a bow on it. The two episodes weave together a nifty narrative that continues to tell the tale of the transition from the state of the galaxy in the prequels to the state of the galaxy in the original trilogy and remind the audience of the devious chess master behind it all. Now that they’ve served their purpose and all but eradicated the Jedi, the Clones, like the droid armies before them, are set to be decommissioned following the tragic “incident” that wiped out the Kaminoan cloning facilities and made the further production of Clone Troopers all but impossible.

    Senator Riyo Chuchi in a scene from “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH”, season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    Clone Force 99 finds themselves at the center of a high-stakes mission to stop the decommissioning of Clones (part of the Defense Recruitment Bill which also proposes a conscripted military take their place) that would also expose Season 1 villain Vice Admiral Rampart’s part in the Kaminoan genocide. Alas, the Batch and Rampart find themselves as pawns in Palpatine’s 4D chess match. Though they procure the evidence of Rampart’s evil act and relay it to their ally in the Senate, Riyo Chuchi, the Clones learn the hard way that Palpatine can and will twist anything to his advantage when the evidence they provide is twisted by the Emperor and serves as the nails in the coffins of their fellow Clones.

    There’s a bit of historical horror as Palpatine, presiding over the Senate, announces that these acts of terror are reason enough for him to pass the Defense Recruitment Bill and usher in the era of the Imperial Stormtrooper. As fans of series in which stories are told anachronistically, knowing the heroes of The Bad Batch played a major role in the coming terrors that these Stormtroopers will commit is a hard pill to swallow. But as evil as Sleepy Sheev is, these two episodes go a long way in reminding us why he was able to keep his grip on power for so long: his prowess as a Sith Lord is matched only by his incredible political acumen and spin tactics. It’s Sheev’s galaxy, everyone else is just barely surviving in it.

  • ‘Constantine’ Sequel Still Moving Ahead at Warner Bros.

    ‘Constantine’ Sequel Still Moving Ahead at Warner Bros.

    DC Studios officially unveiled its official slate earlier this month and noticeably absent was the previously announced Constantine sequel with Keanu Reeves. The film’s absence led many to believe the film was no longer in development, however, that does not look to be the case.

    According to Entertainment Weekly, Warner Bros. has confirmed that despite rumors suggesting otherwise, the sequel has not been scrapped. The news comes after reports stated that because the film wasn’t listed as part of DC Studios’ Chapter One slate, it was no longer in development. Many were quick to believe this to be the case as the sequel was ordered before James Gunn and Peter Safran, the heads of the newly formed DC Studios, took over DC’s future for Warner Bros. Discovery. It’s unclear how the film will fit in with DC Studios’ current plans, although DC will also offer the Elseworlds banners for films that fall outside the DCU continuity.

    Reeves, who starred in the first film, will return to reprise the titular role with director Francis Lawrence returning to direct the sequel. As of now, the film does not yet have a release date.

    Source: EW.

  • ‘Fantastic Four’ Director Matt Shakman on Casting Rumors, What He Learned from ‘WandaVision’

    ‘Fantastic Four’ Director Matt Shakman on Casting Rumors, What He Learned from ‘WandaVision’

    Though it won’t go into production until early in 2024, Marvel Studios Fantastic Four might lead the country in rumored castings. The roles of Ben Grimm, Reed Richards, Sue Storm and Johnny Storm are certainly among the most coveted in all of Hollywood and will provide the respective talents that fill them with at least a decade’s worth of security. The constant spinning of the rumor mill and theorizing about the upcoming film are nothing new to director Matt Shakman, who boarded the project after original director Jon Watts departed it to work on his Star Wars series Skeleton Crew.

    Shakman’s time on WandaVision, Marvel Studios’s first streaming series and certainly the most “water cooler” one to date, allows him some unique perspective on the ongoing social media craze that surrounds the casting for Fantastic Four, as he explained to Comic Book.

    “There are a lot out there, man,” said Shakman of the casting rumors. “They really are. It’s pretty crazy. As I learned from WandaVision, too, it is so lovely to see the level of engagement that fans have with this material, because I’m a fan too, and I have been reading Fantastic Four since I was a kid,” the director explained.

    WandaVision‘s mysterious nature in concert with its weekly release schedule led to some wild fan theories that kept the series front and center on social media from week to week. Fans often conflated theories and rumors with facts and ended up disappointed more often than not as the Grim Reaper, Reed Richards and Doctor Strange never showed up. However frustrating it was, the experience did show the enormous amount of passion MCU fans have for certain projects, something Shakman hopes will carry over to Fantastic Four.

    “I love these characters,” said Shakman of Marvel’s First Family. “I love the chance that we have to bring them to the MCU and I really want to get it right and I know that everybody out there is really excited and feels passionate in the same way wanting to get it right. And so I encourage it. I think it’s great,” he continued before adding, “but yeah, I have no early answers for anyone today about casting.”

    While there’s nothing to be gleaned about the potential cast of Fantastic Four from Shakman’s comments, at least we can all rest well knowing someone learned something from WandaVision.

    Source: Comic Book

  • Marvel Studios Exec Officially Confirms ‘Wonder Man’, Teases a “Unique” Story

    Marvel Studios Exec Officially Confirms ‘Wonder Man’, Teases a “Unique” Story

    Marvel Studios’ production machine will be dialed up to do some major work soon. Agatha: Coven of Chaos is currently in production in Atlanta and six other projects are set to kick off principal photography by June. Among those is Wonder Man, a streaming series created by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II but that has never been acknowledged by Marvel Studios…until now.

    In an interview with Comic Book, Marvel Studios producer Stephen Broussard finally made it official, confirming the series is happening and teasing the tone of the project.

    “Destin is doing a television show for us called Wonder Man,” said Broussard, joking that, “I think that’s out there in the world.” Not only was Broussard feeling kind enough to confirm Wonder Man is in the works, but he also gave some details about what to expect from the series, including a heavy dose of influence from the comics.

    [Wonder Man will] be definitely influenced by the comics. One of the things that we’re excited about it is that it’s going to feel very unique. It’s not going to feel like anything you’ve quite seen in the MCU before. And the kind of stories we can tell on Disney+, which has been fun. Like streaming, serialized storytelling is a totally different muscle. So, we’re having a blast making that one.

    Stephen Broussard

    A recent rumor compared the tone of the show to that of HBO’s Barry, a comparison that fans of that show and the MCU should be very excited about if it’s accurate. Wonder Man is set to kick off production in late March/early April and run through August meaning it should end up somewhere on Marvel Studios’ 2024 streaming slate.

    Source: Comic Book

  • Marvel Studios and Peyton Reed Have Already Begun Conversations about ‘Ant-Man 4’

    Marvel Studios and Peyton Reed Have Already Begun Conversations about ‘Ant-Man 4’

    The notion that Marvel heroes would disappear after a trilogy of films went out the door when the studio greenlit Thor: Love and Thunder, and began development on Spider-Man 4. Now, it seems the MCU’s tiniest hero may be next in line for a fourth film.

    According to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania producer Stephan Broussard, a fourth installment in the Ant-Man franchise is more than just a possibility; it’s already being discussed.

    “We’re already thinking about it,” Broussard told Comic Book. “It’s like, every movie’s its own battle and you bear the scars of making it and wanting to make it great. But hope springs eternal and you start to put yourself back together after the journey of making the movie. You’re like, ‘Yeah, what if we did X and what if we did Y?’ Like the wheels start turning, you can’t help yourself,” explained the producer.

    Of note, Broussard also revealed that director Peyton Reed has been involved in the early discussions about the fourth film. “I don’t want to say anything about specifically what those are,” said Broussard, ” but yeah, you can’t help yourself. Those conversations, those whispers have already started to happen between myself and Peyton and Kevin.”

    After replacing Edgar Wright at the last minute on 2015’s Ant-Man, Reed has become a favorite of Kevin Feige. He played a major role in the push to make Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania the big event films it became and has no shortage of big ideas. Should Reed end up helming the fourth film, he would be the first director to lead four MCU films in the same franchise and join the Russo Brothers in the four-timer squad!

    Source: Comic Book

  • Director Matt Shakman Updates ‘Fantastic Four’ Production Schedule

    Director Matt Shakman Updates ‘Fantastic Four’ Production Schedule

    The road to Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four draws closer to reality. In an interview with The Wrap, director Matt Shakman confirmed that production for the film adaptation of Marvel’s First Family is scheduled to begin in early 2024. This period would be a logical production window as the film is currently set to release on February 14, 2025. Though with release date delays that have become commonplace for Marvel Studios, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for audiences to expect the film to have at least one more delay in release.

    Matt Shakman being hired to helm Fantastic Four comes after previously directing the entirety of the acclaimed WandaVision series for Disney+. His work on the inaugural Marvel Cinematic Universe streaming project got him hired to work on a Star Trek feature film sequel for Paramount. But the offer of the Fantastic Four forced him to relinquish his role on Star Trek. Shakman spoke about this decision and his motivations with Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four.

    Movies have different journeys and momentums and schedules are a little bit mercurial, and so when the ‘Fantastic Four’ opportunity came up, it was just too hard to pass up, and to go back home to Marvel, a place that I worked on ‘WandaVision’ at, with those people who are wonderful collaborators. It’s really a family there and to be able to go back and tackle something that I truly love, and they’re very similar in some ways: they both were launched in the ’60s at the same time, they’re both about optimism and looking to the stars and technology can solve everything and they’re about family too — the family you have, the family you make. So they’re aligned in many ways and speak to my heart and equally, so I’m excited to be working on ‘Fantastic Four’.

    Matt Shakman

    This quote should pique the interest of fans of the Fantastic Four. Matt Shakman’s excitement about the themes of family and exploration is key to successfully adapting Marvel’s First Family. They’re also concepts that weren’t adeptly explored in the previous film adaptations of the team. If Shakman’s creative vision for the team can be capitalized on, fans should have a lot to be excited about in 2025 with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Then in terms of the 2024 production start, it should further confirm the notion that audiences won’t learn of an official cast till the second half of 2023. A big reveal at San Diego Comic-Con seems to be an ideal time for the pageantry of such an occasion.

    Source: The Wrap

  • Vincent D’Onofrio Has News for Fans of Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’

    Vincent D’Onofrio Has News for Fans of Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’

    Marvel Studios’ ambitious Daredevil: Born Again begins production in New York City at the end of the month and the stars of the show have been in The Big Apple prepping for the series for some time. The 18-episode event will reunite Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, the stars of the beloved Netflix Daredevil series, for a brand new adventure following their introductions into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans of the Netflix series are hoping for more of the violent tone they grew accustomed to over three seasons but given that the series will stream on Disney Plus, that seems unlikely. Just what should be expected is still unknown, but some insight from D’Onofrio may help prepare fans of the somber, blood-soaked Netflix series.

    “It’s going to be very very cool,” said D’Onfrio in response to a fan’s hopes that Daredevil: Born Again would be “more badass” than the Netflix series. “Very different than the Netflix show which was as we know was amazing. Yet this is brand new and really smart,” claimed D’Onofrio before sharing that “we are going to surprise everyone with it. And yes it’s going to be really cool.”

    Cool, different and surprising might not be what fans of Daredevil want to hear but to some extent, the writing has been on the wall. Cox has called Born Again a “whole new deal” and expressed his wishes to potentially retell some stories that were already told over the course of the Netflix series. While everyone continues to debate the canonicity of Daredevil, including Cox, D’Onofrio‘s words speak volumes about what’s coming for the MCU versions of Daredevil and Kingpin.