Dungeons & Dragons is set to expand further into the world of live-action Hollywood content. Paramount+ has ordered up eight-episodes straight-to-series based on the popular fantasy role-playing game from Hasbro. Rawson Marshall Thurber, the director of Netflix’s most viewed original film Red Notice, has written the script for the pilot episode and is also set to direct the series which will be a co-production between Paramount Pictures and eOne.
Dungeons & Dragons was part of an extensive bidding war from eOne that included various major studios in the television landscape. Ultimately, Paramount came away the victors and will add the gaming stalwart to their library. This acquisition comes after the commercial success Paramount Pictures had with Halo on Paramount+. The move to work with eOne is logical as the two studios are already working together to produce and finance Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, a major theatrical release set for March 31 of this year. There is no word on if there’ll be any connections between the feature film and this newly announced series.
It’s been rumored that eOne has had the notion of adapting Dungeons & Dragons into a television series a top priority since acquiring Hasbro in 2019. The newly announced series is to be the largest project the studio has worked on by a significant margin. Assuming the project is successful, there is potential for eOne to expand into creating an expanded universe of multiple projects that interconnect to some degree. It will be interesting to follow if this iteration of Dungeons & Dragons can become one of the next major cinematic franchises in Hollywood.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a game-changer for Marvel Studios. More than just a significant tonal shift from Captain America: The First Avenger, it was a significant tonal shift from pretty much every film that Marvel Studios had released before it and set the path for one of the main plot threads of the Infinity Saga. It’s fair to say that its impact is still being felt as Marvel Studios moves through the Multiverse Saga which will continue when Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 on February 17th. There’s been plenty of big talk about the big plans for Quantumania, especially by director Peyton Reed, but according to producer Stephan Broussard, it’s set to be a Winter Soldier-level game-changer.
Having served as a producer on Captain America: The First Avenger and Ant-Man and The Wasp, Broussard is uniquely positioned to see the similarities between the major shift in directions for both franchises. In describing the impact Quantumania will have on the future of the MCU, Broussard pulled no punches.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a stand-alone movie with a storyline that will have a significant impact on the future of the MCU. We talk about movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which you saw the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it felt like the entirety of the MCU turned on that. Captain America: Civil War was another film where you saw heroes divided and in camps and battle lines being drawn—it really felt like the future of the MCU was going to be defined by the action of that film. We really liked the idea of making this Ant-Man film as important and integral to the MCU going forward.
The events of the film will set the stage for multiple upcoming MCU films, something Reed described as “extremely exciting” and not something MCU fans probably expected out of the Ant-Man franchise. Fans of the previous two Ant-Man films should not despair, however, that the third installment will lose focus on the core of what the franchise has always been about: the relationship between Scott and Cassie.
One of our philosophies that we’ve always applied at the studio is to just go back to character and to root it in character, and the science-fiction and the world-building is fun but ultimately it’s window dressing to the characters who are on this journey. I think as long as we never forget that this is a story about a father and his daughter reconnecting, which essentially is what this film is, then the headiness of the multiverse, the headiness of the Quantum Realm sorts itself out because you only need to understand that it’s a father-and-daughter story.
Stephan Broussard
Cassie, now played by Kathryn Newton, has always been the apple of Scott’s eye and now that his life has calmed down after the events of Avengers: Endgame, he’s hoping to make up for lost time with his little girl…who is no longer so little. “I really wanted to explore that relationship between Scott and Cassie“, said Reed. “How does Scott relate to her now that she’s an adult?“, he continued. “Cassie is an idealist—she wants to do good in the world, but she’s still trying to figure out what that means for her. She’s trying to find her voice as a young woman. She can be quite critical of her dad, so we had fun with some of the generational divide between father and daughter in this movie.”
Big action and big heart should make for a big success, giving fans more of what they’ve enjoyed in the first two films while giving others more of what they have been asking for when the film hits theaters next month.
Jonathan Majors isn’t playing Kang the newly-elected President of the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Rather, the talented actor is playing Kang the Conqueror, who director Peyton Reed calls “the most powerful being in the multiverse”, and the Quantum Realm will have spent a considerable amount of time learning that lesson when the Ant-Family arrives there in Quantumania.
As much as the third entry in the Ant-Man franchise will tell the story of Scott, Hope, Cassie, Janet and Hank, it will also tell the story of the Quantum Realm and its inhabitants who it would seem are among the first to fall under Kang’s rule. Though it played a major role in the events of Avengers: Endgame, fans have only briefly glmipsed the Quantum Realm so far. Part of that glimpse teased there was more to the subatomic world than handsome tardigrades and Quantumania is set to explore the cities and civilizations of the Quantum Realm. That meant some serious world building had to take place and producer Stephan Broussard said that meant asking a lot of questions.
What does technology look like down here? What does society look like down here? What does religion and politics look like down here? I think one of the reasons why the MCU has been successful and had the longevity that it has had so far is that we view new characters and new stories as a chance to kick down the door on whole new worlds.
Stephan Broussard
The latest trailer for Quantumaniagives fans a look around the Quantum Realm, including some parts of it that look like they’ve been through hell and according to Katy O’Brian, who plays a Quantum Realm native, there’s a good reason for that. O’Brian plays Jentorra, the leader of a group of beings whose life in the Quantum Realm was “turned upside down by Kang.”
Jentorra’s band of creatures, known as the Freedom Fighters, were glimpsed in the initial teaser for Quantumania and will serve as the audience’s window to reality of Kang’s rule over the Quantum Realm, one of which O’Brian paints a grim picuture.
We’re constantly on the move, constantly running, hiding and trying to fight back and reclaim our homeland. We’re fighting a losing battle—he’s got way more people, we’re outmanned, outgunned. But there’s a little bit of hope we have to hold onto.
Katy O’Brian
Though the interests of Jentorra and the Ant-Family may not seem aligned at first as Kang and Scott seem to be intent on working together, the trailer teases a betrayal “by Kang leading to the film evolving into what Broussard calls “an epic sci-fi war movie.” That’s not a description MCU fans ever thought they’d hear associated with the Ant-Man franchise, but Reed’s determination to go bigger and bolder in Quantumania steered the film in that direction. Wars, however, mean casualties and when up against an opponent like Kang, there’s no telling how far he’ll go to get what he wants and who he’ll kill to get it.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17th.
While Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp might not be categorized as divisive films, the action comedies haven’t been every fan’s cup of tea. Criticized for being too silly and not featuring enough action, the first two films in the franchise have been small-scale films serving as palate cleansers after big Avengers events. Returning director Peyton Reed set out to make Quantumania something much larger and much different and the latest trailer for the film looks like he may have succeeded. No director can do it alone, however, and Reed had quite a bit of help in the form of franchise newcomer Jonathan Majors, who plays one of Marvel Comics great villains, Kang the Conqueror, and who Reed credits with bringing “an entirely different energy to the set” and disrupting the comfortable tone of the franchise.
Majors wields an incredible amount of talent and charisma and, according to Reed, his presence as the film’s villain on the set of Quantumania was “intimidating.”
Jonathan brought an entirely different energy to the set. The Ant-Man movies have always been comedies. I like to have a really relaxed, fun set so that the actors can go in front of the camera and feel comfortable trying weird stuff. It’s a safe space. And Jonathan came in as this disruptor—this very intimidating force.
Peyton Reed
Reed’s words call to mind impactful performances such as those by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Bill Skarsgård in It where the actors inhabited to roles so fully that their co-stars were put aback. Reed believes that Majors intensity served as the perfect foil to co-star Paul Rudd‘s trademark goofiness, highlighting the significant gap between the two characters.
It was so great to put that energy up against Paul Rudd’s energy, and it mirrored what we were doing in the movie itself. A lot of people might consider Ant-Man the ‘weakest’ Avenger: ‘What can that guy do? He shrinks and talks to ants. That’s ridiculous.’ Putting that guy up against Kang the Conqueror, who’s the most powerful being in the multiverse—that seemed really exciting to us.
Peyton Reed
From the looks of things in the latest trailer, Rudd’s Scott Lang is in for a world of hurt as he goes up against a Kang, who Reed calls “one of the great antagonists in the comics.” The brutal beating Lang took has fans thinking Quantumania might be the end of the road for the character. With the movie’s premiere just over 5 weeks away, fans won’t have to wait long to find out.
Disney and Marvel Studios unveiled the latest trailer and poster for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Monday during the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Along with the above trailer, Marvel also debuted a brand new poster for the film.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will hit theaters on February 17th.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is set for its next major shift in the status quo. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will seemingly be the ultimate resolution for the Ant-Family trilogy, while also marking a starting point for Phase Five and various new plot threads. The film is set to introduce the next Avengers big-bad in Kang the Conqueror as portrayed by Jonathan Majors. As seen through the marketing and the latest trailer, Marvel Studios is making it clear that the Ant-Man franchise is moving away from the strictly light-hearted tone of the first two installments. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has lofty expectations for being a turning point in the Multiverse Saga. With that in mind, here are five elements Marvel Studios’ next film needs to get right in order to be a success.
Connections to Phase Four
With the conclusion of Phase Four, one major complaint from fans online was the lack of a “connective tissue” between projects. Some have drawn the conclusion that Marvel Studios has no “plan” for the Multiverse Saga; even after they showcased their future plans. This is a ridiculous conclusion to draw with Phase Four mirroring the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with projects being building blocks to introduce characters and concepts that will pay off by the time films like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars hit theaters.
When it comes to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, the film has a golden opportunity to prove the nay-sayers wrong. As the first project of Phase 5, Marvel Studios can quickly change the narrative into that of full anticipation for how each project connects to the conclusion of this saga. This was a key element that made the Infinity Saga such a triumph in the 2010s. If Quantumania can be the film to kickstart that positive momentum for the general direction of the MCU, then it will be that much more strongly received historically speaking.
And based on eagle-eyed viewers of the trailers, this seems to be the case in tying Chronopolis to important artifacts from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel. Here’s hoping that these connections will be overt plot points in the new Ant-Man and The Wasp film.
Lead Into ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’
While having an eye toward the past is critical to the success of Quantumania, focusing on the future is equally important. The upcoming film is the first introduction to Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror; not counting the wildly different variant shown in the Loki season one finale. As such, this film enters the road to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty for him to become the main antagonist of the MCU.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania absolutely needs to get the character right in order for the film to be a worthwhile trilogy ending and for the Multiverse Saga to be worth watching. Audiences should be leaving the film in February with a clear understanding of why Kang is dangerous to whatever permutation of the Avengers he faces in 2026.
And Quantumania being a direct path to The Kang Dynasty goes beyond just the titular character. The film’s exploration of the Quantum Realm would very well benefit from also being an exploration of key plot elements useful for the remainder of the Multiverse Saga. The Ant-Family should be host to pertinent information for the next Avengers film beyond just Kang himself. This certainly is something hard to quantify in the immediate future but would help the long-term perception of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania like previous films in the Infinity Saga.
Set Up William Jackson Harper for More MCU Appearances
This is the most specific element of this list, but one that shouldn’t be overlooked. William Jackson Harper is one of the most underrated actors working in Hollywood today. He was a frequent name on fan castings for Fantastic Four, and his character on The Good Place highlighted how excellent Harper would’ve been as Reed Richards in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With the recent news of the actor being cast in a supporting role for Quantumania, some quickly jumped to the conclusion of Harper being introduced as the new Mister Fantastic through the Quantum Realm. However, this is clearly not the case with casting still well underway for Marvel Studios’ 2025 reboot.
With that in mind, one would hope that Harper will still have a meaningful role both in Quantumania and become a recurring face in the MCU. Rumors have circulated that he could be playing a variety of characters which included Psycho-Man, Quasar, or just a citizen of the Quantum Realm. Ultimately, what’s most important is that he holds genuine relevance to the film. Having an actor as talented as Harper in a supporting role is a massive boon for Marvel Studios, and placing him in a decently important role can easily create a new memorable face for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Setting the Stage for ‘Young Avengers’
While Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done a good job setting up the next two phases, one major component that currently feels underdeveloped is the Young Avengers team. A number of key players have been introduced through the previous two years, but a Young Avengers project has curiously remained absent in the tease of the future.
It would be a massive missed opportunity to not make use given their relevance in Kang’s storyline, and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is the perfect place to set the stage for that to happen. Kathryn Newton’s Cassie Lang could instantly become a fan-favorite character by having the events of Quantumania motivate her to form a team of fellow young heroes to help curb the multiversal calamity awaiting. This wouldn’t need to be a time-consuming element of the film to be successful. In fact, a stinger (pun intended) towards the end would be able to satiate audiences and cement a positive reception for the film.
A Strong Conclusion to Ant-Man’s Arc
While most of the elements presented for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania are esoteric to the larger MCU, arguably the most important element for the film is successfully rounding out its self-contained trilogy. While the first two films in the franchise aren’t among the most popular, the Ant-Man movies have told a strong unifying story about family and striving to be the best version of one’s self.
Paul Rudd has provided a strong performance to grow Scott Lang into a true hero for both the world at large and his daughter Cassie. Quantumania provides the opportunity to conclude this storyline in a grandiose fashion, regardless of who does or doesn’t return following the events of the film. His time as an Avenger has forced him to lose key amounts of time with his daughter and has been challenged in being present for key parts of her life.
Now while faced with his greatest individual opponent and having to do so side-by-side with his daughter, Peyton Reed has a critical opportunity to tell a profound story about legacy and what a parent passes onto their child. If done correctly, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania can become the next classic interpersonal tale in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite the massive stakes attached to the future of the Multiverse Saga.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has been written by Jeff Loveness and is directed by Peyton Reed. The film stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfieffer, Kathryn Newton, and Jonathan Majors. Quantumania opens exclusively in theaters on February 17.
It isn’t looking good for Francis Ford Coppola‘s venture into science fiction with Megalopolis. According to a new report by The Hollywood Reporter, the production currently halfway through filming in Atlanta is not looking good. The biggest loss was that they lost their production designer and supervising art director, which followed losing the entire visual effects team back in December.
Coppola has self-financed the production and broken the Hollywood rule of “never spend your own money” even if it is a passion project. Megalopolis was a long-time project the filmmaker wanted to bring to life and was going to be produced with an impressive $120M budget, which he financed by selling his wineries in California. Yet, it seems that the budget has started to balloon.
Now, the big question remains if he can even finish his film, which is being teased as “absolute madness” behind-the-scenes. It seems one of the issues was they initially wanted to use The Mandalorian’s Volume technology which ended up being more costly than expected and are trying to go back to a green-screen approach.
It seems that Coppola was the one that fired most of the visual effects team with the department following shortly after. The Wolf of Wall Street‘s Mark Russell was leading as the production supervisor and it somewhat feels like a retread of what Coppola did in Dracula 30 years ago. Though generally his greatest hits have seemingly led to some questionable behind-the-scenes developments.
Production designer Beth Mickle and supervising art director David Scott have also left the project behind, which leaves the project with no art department at all. Yet, Coppola is still hiring new staff for the project. The only question remains if he can continue pushing forward or if he has to resign from his passion project after all.
Marvel’s rumor mill is ever changing with various ideas and projects at some point in development or another. Many things change over at Marvel Studios, which makes it often hard to truly understand what is going to happen and what isn’t early in a project’s development. sometimes it’s just throwing around an idea that could eventually blossom into an actual project.
Such might be the case with a new rumor shared on Reddit about a Strange Academy adaption, which would see Benedict Wong‘s Wong and Xochitl Gomez‘s America Chavez take on a major role of their own. In a way, this show would spin out of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where we last saw Chavez being trained in the mystic arts; a big new direction for her character compared to the comics.
They also point out that there’s a possibility elements from the upcoming Ironheart, like the character of Zelma Stanton, might have a role in this Disney+ series. They might set up elements for this show in that very series given how much it dives into the world of the supernatural and could even connect with the confirmed Agatha: Coven of Chaos series further exploring a different part o the supernatural.
Strange Academy was the Harry Potter of the Marvel Comics world, where new magic users would learn about the various gifts they were given. It would make for a great jumping-off point to introduce other minor magic users into the MCU and further explore the concept of Kamar-Taj beyond the little glimpses we get in the Doctor Strange films. Of course, it’ll remain a rumor until further confirmation.
It looks like the rumor mill is ablaze today, as one story after another has been hitting the web on what exactly the future looks like for Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve had to cast rumors for Fantastic Four, hints at various Disney+ shows, and many more, but it seems we have one more story making the rounds. Now, a new rumor from multiple sources has surfaced that Marvel Studios might be fast-tracking a third Doctor Strange film.
@GGeneralHolt8 better known as Greatphase has seemingly shared online what might be a major shift in the future plans of the MCU. Among them is that Marvel Studios hopes to release a new Doctor Strange film ahead of their next major Avengers film, TheKang Dynasty.
While it seems that rumors also picked up on Scott Derrickson, who directed the first entry, potentially returning for the third entry after leaving Multiverse of Madness over creative differences, there seems to be some uncertainty surrounding that detail. @BigScreenLeaks adds to hearing something similar about the third Strange film but not so sure about the Derrickson part.
For now, this remains another rumor but one that does make quite a bit of sense. The post-credit sequence and a major part of the film explore the multiverse, a major aspect of the upcoming Avengers film. Not only that, but we also meet someone who seemingly has knowledge about Incursions, which are very likely a big part of how the movies will tie the various multiverses together.
The only question is who they might get to bring this film to life and if Derrickson would return. While they didn’t come to a consensus on the second entry, he was still on board as an executive producer and fully supported Sam Raimi as the film’s new director. Not just that, but he has also openly stated he’s interested in working with Marvel again. So, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.
It hasn’t been easy on streaming services, as quite a few shows are facing some harsh developments or even outright cancelations just as production is about to finish. HBO Max started the trend and AMC+ has somehow jumped on the bandwagon leaving the streaming market in disarray. While we wonder what exactly the future looks like for the market, Peacock is happily renewing its new Adam Devine-led spinoff series from Pitch Perfect.
Levine reprises his role as Bumper Allen in a tour-de-force through Germany to revive his music career in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin. It seems the series pulled in quite an audience after its November premier last year, as highlighted by NBCUniversal Television’s Susan Rovner.
We knew fans of the Pitch Perfect franchise were going to sing the praises of Bumper in Berlin and enjoy seeing a new side of Adam Devine’s character. Along with our partners at UTV, [showrunner] Megan Amram and [executive producers] Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman crafted an incredibly unique and charming story with new takes on iconic songs. We can’t wait to dive further into this new hit with Peacock audiences.
Susan Rovner
Pitch Perfect was a standout franchise that managed to get two sequels running from 2012 until 2017. There’s no word if there’s interest to develop a new sequel but the trilogy lives on through this spinoff focusing on Bumper. With more seasons, it does open up the possibility to have some original cast members return to the franchise in smaller roles and who knows if a new season also means Bumper gets to explore other places.
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