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  • ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ Wins Best Animated Picture at Golden Globes

    ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ Wins Best Animated Picture at Golden Globes

    The Guillermo del Toro co-directed adaptation of Pinocchio has won Best Picture – Animated at the 80th Golden Globe Awards. Del Toro, of course, previously won a Best Director Golden Globe for his work on The Shape of Water in 2018. Other nominees in the Best Animated Picture category included:

    • Inu-Oh
    • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
    • Puss n’ Boots: The Last Wish
    • Turning Red

    This adaptation of Pinocchio comes after Disney had its own version of the classic children’s fantasy novel released this year by director Robert Zemeckis. The Disney+ exclusive film starring Tom Hanks was critically panned and labeled as a poor recreation of Disney’s 1940 animated film.

    Meanwhile, the Netflix-exclusive adaptation has been met with widespread acclaim. Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson‘s direction and usage of stop-motion were greatly lauded, as was the notion of tying the film historically to interwar, fascist Italy. It ultimately isn’t much of a surprise to see the film being awarded this Golden Globe.

    Pinocchio follows carpenter Gepetto creating a wooden puppet named Pinocchio that magically comes to life through the power of a Wood Sprite. From there, the story tells the tale of the young puppet in his journey to find morals and develop a familial relationship with his pseudo-father, while Gepetto also comes to terms with the puppet being his son.

    Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio stars Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, and Cate Blanchett, among other notable Hollywood stalwarts. The film is currently available to view on Netflix.

  • Angela Bassett Wins Golden Globe Award for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Role

    Angela Bassett Wins Golden Globe Award for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Role

    Angela Bassett has won a Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Gloden Globe for her role of Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This is her second Golden Globe victory after winning the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. Other nominees in the category this year included:

    • Kerry Condon in The Banshees of Inisherin
    • Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All at Once
    • Dolly de Leon in Triangle of Sadness
    • Carey Mulligan in She Said

    Ultimately, this is a massive victory for Marvel Studios and Bassett. A victory of this caliber continues to establish the prestige of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the world of Hollywood. Bassett‘s win is the first major acting award achieved for a performance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This victory also continues to highlight the importance of the Black Panther franchise following the original film’s nomination for Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards.

    Bassett’s performance in Wakanda Forever revolves around Ramonda’s plight following the death of her son, leading the nation of Wakanda, and maintaining her relationship with her daughter Shuri (played by Letitia Wright). Ramonda’s aim is to help Shuri grieve her brother’s death while also struggling to protect her during dangerous field missions in the United States. Bassett provides a tour-de-force performance in her limited screen time that is worthy of award consideration from the Hollywood Foreign Press.

    Marvel Studios provided congratulations to Bassett via Twitter.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still playing in movie theaters globally. The film will release digitally and on Disney+ on February 1.

  • Letita Wright Teases ‘Black Panther 3’ Being “In the Works”

    Letita Wright Teases ‘Black Panther 3’ Being “In the Works”

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has released last year in theaters and wrapped up Marvel Studios’ 2022 in style. Disney generally ended the year strong with its latest Marvel Cinematic Universe release and the return of Avatar. During the Golden Globes Pre-Show, Variety got a chance to ask Letitia Wright if she might have a hint at what’s in the future. In it, she may have revealed that Black Panther 3 may already be planned.

    I think it’s already in the works. You know we just had a terrific two years of bringing it out and just everyone coming together to support it. We just need a little bit of a break. We need to regroup and Ryan needs to get back into the lab. It’s gonna take a while, but really excited for you guys to see that.

    Letitia Wright

    It definitely sounds like a Black Panther threequel is in the cards, especially after the film had an impressive gross at the box office last year even with some massive challenges; most notably losing its primary headliner Chadwick Boseman. Letitia Wright took over as its titular hero and opens up new avenues for the franchise to grow.

    There are also Wakandan-focused spinoff series in development that may flesh out the aftermath of the events in Wakanda Forever while they try not to rush out a new entry in Ryan Cooglers‘ franchise. He’s also involved with the upcoming Ironheart series, which means he may have enough work to keep him busy before he sits down to write a third Black Panther film.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘RRR’ Star is Waiting for His Marvel Role

    ‘RRR’ Star is Waiting for His Marvel Role

    Being in a Marvel movie is all the rage even as the franchise enters a brand new phase of uncertainty. That statement isn’t just for those in Hollywood, as we saw an influx of more international stars joining the franchises, such as The Marvels including Park Seo-joon, Eternals‘ diverse cast, and Ms. Marvel including some Bollywood cameos. The franchise is going international and it seems actor NTR Jr., who recently had a breakout role internationally with RRR, is just “waiting for it to happen” as well.

    In an interview with Variety, the actor talks about his hope for joining the franchise and it seems he’s down for it. While he doesn’t say if there’s a role he’d love to tackle, he does say that he “would love to do it.” Given the success of RRR, it wouldn’t be too surprising that Marvel Studios might have their eyes on the international star. In the same interview, he also shares that Iron Man is his favorite character.

    He is someone like us. He does not have superpowers. He doesn’t come from a different planet. He’s not someone who has been put through a science experiment and become the Hulk.

    NTR Jr.

    We’ll have to see if he finds a role eventually, but there’s definitely some excitement knowing that the actor is open to joining the franchise. Who knows if there’s that perfect role just waiting for him just around the corner?

    Source: Variety

  • Pedro Pascal is Down to Become a Marvel Hero

    Pedro Pascal is Down to Become a Marvel Hero

    Marvel Studios remains a hot commodity for actors, especially as they are busy preparing for the next era of projects that lead into the new duo of Avengers films. Marvel Studios has not only been casting new talent in the industry but also saw a pivot to include already well-established actors such as Mahershala Ali leading a Blade film; whenever it gets the cameras rolling. Now, it seems that Pedro Pascal is also excited to potentially join the franchise.

    In an interview with WIRED, the actor got to talk about the upcoming The Last of Us series and generally look back at his career. In one moment, he was asked if he had gotten where he is now when he was younger if he’d want to avoid a “traditional Marvel role” with CG, to which he swiftly answers: “but I do want that. I want to be in movies.” He also goes on to highlight how he views what being a hero means.

    There’s so many ways to misunderstand people and to forget that, at the end of the day, your neighbor is very likely to give you the shirt off their own back. The interchanges that you have with strangers are, more often than not, human. But then you can go and look shit up and be terrified by how divided we all apparently are. To comfort myself, I just remember that everybody I come in contact with is sort of, in their own way, heroically kind.

    Pedro Pascal

    Pascal has already had the chance to join the DC Extended Universe, where he played the character of Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman 1984. Yet, he hasn’t had the chance to become a hero and it seems he’s ready to wear a CG cape to jump into the Marvel Cinematic Universe though he doesn’t specify which Marvel universe.

    Source: WIRED

  • ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ Series in Development at Sony Pictures Television

    ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ Series in Development at Sony Pictures Television

    The classic Crane Iron Pentalogy novel series will be receiving a television adaptation. Writer-producer Jason Ning is currently developing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon into a television series that is being produced by Sony Pictures Television. This new adaptation will be part of Ning’s newly announced overall deal with Sony Pictures Television.

    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger is the fourth part of the Crane Iron Pentalogy novel series by Chinese author Wang Dulu published between 1938 and 1944. The series revolves around multiple generations of ancient Chinese folk heroes. The book was adapted in 2000 by Ang Lee into an Oscar-winning feature film starring Michelle Yeoh. The film and the upcoming series have incorporated elements from other books in the Crane Iron Pentalogy series.

    Jason Ning is a co-executive producer alongside Angela Kang on Silk: Spider Society for Amazon Prime Video. The series will be the first of multiple shows based around a variety of supporting characters Spider-Man comics, whose film and television rights belong to Sony Pictures. Silk: Spider-Society will also be the first live-action show produced by Sony Pictures Television for Amazon Prime and MGM+. Ning’s experience includes working as an executive producer for Lucifer and supervising producer on The Expanse. In addition, he has worked on two upcoming major streaming shows, Mrs. Davis and The Brother’s Sun for Peacock and Netflix, respectively.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff Featuring Rick and Michonne, Coming in 2024

    ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff Featuring Rick and Michonne, Coming in 2024

    AMC has announced that the The Walking Dead spin-off featuring Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira will debut in 2024.

    This spin-off will reunite their characters, Rick and Michonne, onscreen and provide closure to two of the most beloved characters in The Walking Dead. The still untitled show, has been described as an “epic love story.” The project was first teased at Comic-Con International in San Diego last summer and was initially thought to be released this year. The series finale of The Walking Dead drew more than 2 million viewers, and while the Rick and Michonne project was originally developed as a series of films, AMC has seemingly changed those plans to potentially recapture the magic of the original series early on. Production on the untitled Rick and Michonne series will begin later this year.

    In addition to the Rick and Michonne spin-off, AMC is also developing The Walking Dead: Dead City with Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon with Norman Reedus. “This next phase of our beloved Walking Dead franchise promises to engage and enthrall faithful viewers,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios at AMC Networks. “Fans new and old will love seeing zombies walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, beneath the Eiffel Tower, inside the Louvre, and at dozens more exotic and iconic locations from around the country and world.”

    The synopsis for the forthcoming series can be read below.

    Lincoln and Gurira reunite for a new spinoff series that will finally continue the journey of Rick Grimes and Michonne characters. This series presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were. Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?

    Scott Gimple serves as the showrunner and executive producer on the untitled series alongside its stars, Lincoln and Gurira.

    Source: Comicbook.

  • Marvel Exec Confirms ‘Eternals’ Follow-Up in the Plans

    Marvel Exec Confirms ‘Eternals’ Follow-Up in the Plans

    Eternals stands as one of the most divisive (and worst-reviewed) projects Marvel Studios has rolled out to date. Nearly 18 months after its release, no official word about a sequel has emerged from the executive offices and only rumors of a potential spinoff, featuring a character only seen for seconds in a stinger, have made their way around the internet. That character, Starfox, was played, however, by one of the world’s biggest stars in Harry Styles and it sounds like those rumors of a Starfox spinoff project may have some legs to them.

    In an interview with Deadline, Marvel Studios Executive Producer and Parliament member Nate Moore confirmed that there are plans for “more stories to be told” with Styles’ character. “We certainly didn’t cast Harry for a tag,” said Moore, who called Styles’ Starfox “a character maybe I have too much affection for because he’s had some problematic runs in publishing.“

    Of course, those issues the character has had in print don’t need to be translated to the screen and Starfox’s ties to Thanos provide the foundations for the type of legacy stories Marvel Studios could easily turn into interesting stories, especially with Styles at the center of them. In fact, to hear Moore tell it, Starfox may just be Marvel’s “next big thing.”

    But there are more stories to be told with that character. He’s fascinating and he has a really interesting connection with Thanos-they’re half-brothers; they share the same father. He has an interesting power set…he’s a complicated character but a really fun character…and I think there’s no limit to how popular that character’s going to be once we get to bring him back.

    Nate Moore

    When and where those stories fit on Marvel Studios ever-changing upcoming slate remains to be seen, but what can hardly be questioned is the studio’s uncanny ability to match actors and roles. To that end, while they might like to avoid some of the atrocious decisions made by Marvel Publishing over the years, there’s no denying the appeal of the Styles!

    Source: Deadline

  • 6 Heroes Who Should Make Up MCU’s New Avengers in ‘The Kang Dynasty’

    6 Heroes Who Should Make Up MCU’s New Avengers in ‘The Kang Dynasty’

    While there are plenty of heroes doing good deeds all over the planet, the MCU is currently without a full team of Avengers. Wong and Banner and Carol seem to at least chat from time to time, but there’s no Avengers Mansion and no discernable lineup. Iron Man and Black Widow are dead. Steve Rogers got a life. Smart Hulk and Hawkeye are semi-retired but willing to mix in the occasional mentoring cycle. Vision doesn’t know who he is. Thor’s off-planet being a Dad. Wanda went all Darkholdy. It’s easy enough to keep going to see that the many of those on the roster of heroes who have served on the team, even for a day, are going to be occupied one way or another when a day unlike any other comes around again. So who might be around to assemble when Kang comes to town in 2025? Here are 6 characters who we think should form the MCU’s New Avengers.

    Captain America

    Sam Wilson will have his hands full in Captain America: New World Order, to be sure, but nothing he faces in that movie will be on par with Kang the Conqueror coming to add present-day Earth to his dynasty. The world will need a new team of Avengers and Sam Wilson should be the well-tested, well-respected and perfect choice to bring them together. There’s no talking Kang down, so Sam will have to put together a powerful team to take down the warlord.

    She-Hulk

    Sam and Jen Walters may meet up in Captain America: New World Order, which would make for a perfect segue to her inclusion on the team in Avengers: Kang Dynasty. Jen didn’t want to be a hero but her series taught audiences that she is just about as strong as Bruce’s Hulk and is probably only just growing into her powers. A nearly indestructible Hulk is essentially a must for an Avengers squad and it’s Jen’s time to join the ranks.

    Moon Knight

    As much fun as Oscar Isaac had exploring the multiple personalities of Moon Knight, the safe bet is that Marvel Studios didn’t bring a star like him on board just to do a series. An Avengers film is going to rake in big bucks at the box office no matter what, but having Isaac’s name in the credits certainly isn’t going to drive people away. Adding Moon Knight to the team also provides opportunity for more levity to be written into the script, something Marvel Studios loves to help balance out the tense moments. It also puts Loony Moony shoulder-to-shoulder with Sam Wilson which is the buddy team-up we all need to see.

    Shang-Chi

    Shang-Chi’s rings make him one of the most powerful characters on Earth. They also seem to have some sort of connection to Kang, as does Kamala’s bangle. It’s possible Shang-Chi’s sequel comes before The Kang Dynasty, changing the blueprint a little, but if not, it’s likely that Shang-Chi and his ten rings are right at the center of the plot of the fifth Avengers film.

    Black Panther

    Every Avengers team needs a tech genius and when that genius comes with the added bonus of being powered up and coated in Vibranium, it’s a perfect match. Expect Shuri to play a key role in understanding Shang-Chi’s rings, Kang’s future tech and maybe even helping to arm some of the heroes in the fight against the time-traveling conqueror.

    Spider-Man

    A lot of things could be said about why Spidey belongs on the team but here are the two best reasons (and the only ones you need): Tom Holland isn’t signing back on to a new deal without a couple of appearances in Avengers films and Marvel Studios isn’t going to make Avengers films without their most popular character now that they can use him. I’m not sure how they calculate service time for the Avengers, but Spidey has to be among the most senior members of the team. Wherever he stands, he definitely logged some major experience during the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, making him a key member even if nobody remembers who he is.

    Given the number of heroes out there, it’s tough to imagine going 6-for-6. When it’s all said and done, it would be great if even 50% of our list ended up being on the team. Who would you like to see on the new team? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

  • Marvel Studios Exec Names Two X-Men Who Could be Key to the MCU Reboot

    Marvel Studios Exec Names Two X-Men Who Could be Key to the MCU Reboot

    Executive Producer and Parliament member Nate Moore has had an incredible run at Marvel Studios. Moore has worked on four of the studio’s most successful and well-received films (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Eternals, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and is currently prepping Captain America: New World Order, which begins production this spring. While nothing has been announced officially, it’s likely that Moore will have a big role in shaping what’s sure to be the studio’s next big thing after the Multiverse Saga: the X-Men! Disney acquired the live-action rights to the X-Men and related characters in 2019 and while they’ve mixed in some of the characters here and there, they’ve yet to dive in other than announcing that “mutants are coming.” But that’s going to change soon…

    In an interview with Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro, Moore was asked what stories he’d like to see told in the MCU’s future involving Black superheroes and he didn’t hesitate to name to of the X-Men’s most powerful members. “There’s no secret the X-Men are coming home,” said Moore, “and boy, if you talk about Storm and Bishop, those are two of the great characters in that franchise that I certainly ould pitch you ideas all day.“

    Both characters appeared, in name, over the course of Fox’s reign of terror as the right’s holder and sole producer of the X-Men films. While neither character was given proper treatment, the fact that they sit in the front of Moore’s mind when discussing the future of the MCU gives hope. However, fans shouldn’t get too excited to see them any time soon as Moore reminded Alessandro that Marvel Studios is “early, early, early days” in terms of preparing the X-Men to ascend to their rightful place atop the comic book movie hierarchy.

    Source: Deadline