Silent Night was certainly one of the surprise hits of 2022. David Harbour‘s ass-kicking, sledgehammer-wielding Santa Claus made quite an impact and has fans asking for more. Fortunately, according to co-writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who penned the Sonic the Hedgehog films, there’s no shortage of ideas for where to take Santa next…including mono a mono with the Easter bunny!
In an interview with SYFY WIRE, Casey and Miller laid out potential plans for prequels and/or sequels to Violent Night. According to Casey and Miller, Violent Night barely scratched the surface in terms of what’s possible for this Santa. The film sets the stage for Santa’s violent dispatching of mercs by explaining he was a Viking once upon a time, but the writing duo believes there’s enough of Santa’s background on the cutting room floor to create a “full-on prequel.”
We used to have more of his backstory in the first one and that got stripped out for pacing. I guess it’ll be a bummer if we never get a sequel, but part of us was was kind of happy because that just leaves more stuff to do in sequels. One thing we’ve learned from the Sonic movies is [that] sometimes painting yourself into a corner for the sequel sucks. Because you’re like, ‘Oh, man! I wish we hadn’t said that one sentence in the earlier movie!
Josh Miller
Miller adds that a prequel might be a little “complicated” in terms of budget and that a sequel is more likely. While they have plenty of ideas for what that might entail, they do seem certain that the next film will include characters cut from Violent Night: Santa’s elves and Mrs. Claus. Miller explained that “elves were part of our pitch,” for Violent Night, but explained that budgetary restraints around creating the North Pole led to them being cut from the film. That’s not stopping these idea men, however. According to Casey, if they do get to make a sequel “the elves are gonna be great.” Mrs. Claus was also originally in the film, including in a scene that Casey described as a “helicopter versus flying sleigh dogfight.” Ultimately, a casualty of the budget, Mrs. Claus will be back but according to Miller, she won’t quite fit the traditional depiction of the character. “The Vikings went down to Africa,” said the writer. “They discovered North America hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus, ‘discovered it. So really, the sky’s the limit for who could play Mrs. Claus because who’s to say at what point in his past he met her and where?“
Whatever direction potential sequels may take, the writers assure that they will have the same 80’s-inspired, over-the-top action. Violent Night‘s action beats were heavily influenced by Die Hard, a film that has been considered an alt-christmas classic for quite some time. According to Miller, their vision for the Violent Night franchise includes more of what worked so well in the first film.
There are so many movies that influenced Die Hard and that Die Hard influenced, that I think the special sauce of the franchise is always finding that weird middle ground of where Christmas movie tropes can kind of intersect with classic ‘80s/‘90s action movie tropes
January will finally see the release of One Piece‘s most ambitious project yet, One Piece Odyssey. The game will explore our favorite Straw Hat pirates revisiting their own history through memories with slight changes adding never before seen challenges. While we still don’t have all the details on the game, Jump has been busy promoting the various storylines that’ll be featured and it seems Jump Festa was used to confirm two more new additions.
It’s unclear if this includes all storylines, but it looks like One Piece Odyssey will include two new additions to its stories, Marineford and Alabasta. Most of the showcases seem to closely follow the stories we know with some rather curious additions such as Sabo joining the confrontation against Donquixote Doflamingo, or Corazon taking Luffy’s place in stopping him from stomping on Trafalgar D. Law.
They shied away from teasing any new events during Marineford, but it’ll be interesting to see how closely they stick to the original tales or how they try to twist them in new and interesting ways. Marineford saw Monkey D. Luffy face the marines on his own with some unlikely help form his time in Impel Down.
Now, he has his crew with him that could make all the difference even if they are powered down due to JRPG logic. One Piece Odyssey is shaping up to be quite an interesting entry in the franchise and might offer something unique even to long-time fans of the franchise. Here’s just hoping they haven’t revealed everything and we also have some East Blue stories in there as well.
Jump Festa has finally arrived and many have wondered if we’ll get any updates on Western productions regarding some of the popular Shonen Jump storylines. One in particular was the Netflix adaptation of One Piece that has the challenging task of bringing the iconic story of Monkey D. Luffy to live-action. With its cartoony world, it seems like a daunting task for anyone to tackle but showrunners Matt Owens and Steve Maeda have been all-in ever since the production started back in January. We didn’t get any trailer or first look during Jump Festa, but a message from One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has given us an update and it looks like he’s excited about the adaptation.
Oda leaves a message for all attendees every year and this one was no different. In it he reflects on the last 25 years, the upcoming game adaptation One Piece Odyssey and highlights the “Hollywood Live-Action” series. @Orojapan1 has been kind enough offer a rough translation of the statement shared by Oda, where he goes into some detail about the series and potentially hints at a 2023 release.
And the Hollywood Live-Action is also in production! We’re currently going through the rough drafts for Season 1. Tehre’s been a lot of work behind the scenes, but I was the most worried one during the process…But it’s really great!!!
Eiichiro Oda translated by Orojapan
another translation from @newworldartur rephrases it a bit, as he states they “have the base footage of Season 1” and once again highlights that he was nervous about the production but instead of great he calls it “actually looks amazing.” Until an official tranlsation is released, we can only use these fan translatinos that offer a glimpse on what was discussed or revealed during the panel. Still, it does seem like a reassuring trend is that he’s seemingly quite happy with the production.
But it’s also not surprising that he was nervous during production, as it is his creation that is being adapted in a new medium under the supervision of others. Not too long ago, we learned just how involved he is with the project and the fact they are already working on the rough drafts for the first season might hint that they are further along in production. So, here’s hoping that a first look isn’t too far anymore and it’s reassuring to know that the franchise’s creator is calling this adaptation “great”.
One of the most engaging elements in the Marvel line of comics has been the focus on history. Not in the sense more associated with DC, where legacy is so revered (arguably to a fault), but in the sense that character progression seemed to hold far greater priority than one might assume from a funny book. While Marvel was no better than DC in terms of their willingness to wriggle out of a set of circumstances through hokey, convoluted retcons, books like Iron Man were once celebrated for continuing a logical, building narrative across different writers and hundreds of issues.
With Invincible Iron Man #1, Marvel heavy-hitter Gerry Duggan (who has been all over the mutant side of the MU in recent times) takes Ol’ Shellhead’s narrative to a tediously familiar stop. After a few pages recounting the basics of Stark’s 616 history (being a #1 issue, the book is undoubtedly aiming to be a starting point for the ever-elusive “new comic reader”) and the inciting incident of the story, we find Tony Stark at a point in his life where he’s feeling particularly guilty over mistakes that he’s made as a result of poor forethought, leading to other people getting caught in the crossfire. Gripping stuff. It could be argued that bemoaning an Iron Man title for focusing on what is debatably the very essence of Iron Man may be a little unfair, but the problems lie just as much in what the book doesn’t do.
Quite a bit of the narrative weight Duggan tries to convey throughout this issue hinges on readers’ outright acceptance of the gravity of what has happened because Tony tells us it’s really affected him. This approach isn’t all that effective when the vast majority of input we get from Tony on these situations comes via first-person narration (framed as Tony working on his autobiography, from some unrevealed point in the future) that struggles to find an authentic voice. A lot of the verbiage sounds decidedly un-Stark, like Tony using the term “unhoused”, and a handful of similar instances of hyper-online wording.
A moderately interesting mystery is competently established, and there’s certainly nothing offensively repellant about this book as it finds its footing. Juan Frigeri provides excellent visuals, and the book makes plenty of sense as a back-to-basics reset of sorts. Is it just too much to ask, after 60 years, for something a bit… fresh?
YouTuber Dawko has been holding a Charity Stream in which he’s been sharing some rather curious reveals for the upcoming Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, as creator Scott Cawthon has seemingly shared some details with him to build up some momentum for the new film and help the Charity Stream. In it, he not only confirmed the roles that the recently cast Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson, but also went on to share two new castings.
The newest additions to the film are Mary Stuart Masterson. Not just that, she’s also hinted at playing an unnamed villain, which does open up the door on who exactly she could be playing. With Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach introducing the character of Vanny, they may be taking pieces from across the franchise’s history but she could also just be voicing one of the animatronics. Baby might be an interesting choice, but there’s also the chance they’ll just introduce new characters.
She’s not the only new addition, as young actress Piper Rubio has also been added to the film’s cast, and she’ll be playing Mike’s younger sister named Abby. Now, Mike was revealed to be Hutcherson‘s role and is inspired by the gaming franchise’s nightguard. So, she’s not Elizabeth Afton and it opens up the question on if they might build up this character throughout.
Not too long ago, we found out that the upcoming Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is finally picking up steam after being in development hell for quite some time. Just yesterday, we found out that Matthew Lillard is making his return to the horror genre in an unknown role in Blumhouse’s upcoming live-action adaptation alongside The Hunger Games alum Josh Hutcherson, also no stranger to the genre. Now, it seems that we even know who they are playing as Scott Cawthon has shared their roles with YouTuber Dawko, who announced their roles as part of a Charity Stream.
What roles are they playing? Well, it looks like we’ll get introduced to one major character in the first film as Lillard has been revealed to be taking on the role of William Afton, the infamous Purple Guy and main antagonist of the franchise. Hutcherson‘s will play the role of Mike Smith who was the nightguard in the original game. It looks like they may combine elements from the original and perhaps we’ll see Lillard more in flashbacks as the main mystery of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria is uncovered throughout the film’s runtime.
Throughout the years, ABBA’s iconic music has defined the landscape. So, a film based around those iconic melodys would certainly draw in quite the audience. And that it did with style, as the first Mamma Mia led directly into a just as popular sequel. Yet, we’ve long been waiting for an update on a possible third entry in the franchise and luckily director OI Parker definitely has plans to make that a reality.
In an interview with ScreenRant, the director got a chance to tease that there are active plans for another entry in the franchise and that producer Judy Craymer always envisioned the musical as a trilogy.
Judy Craymer, the genius producer behind the musical and the first two films, always plans for it to be a trilogy. That’s all I can say. The first one made an enormous amount of money, and I think we made a fair amount too. I know that there is a hunger for a third, and I know that she has a plan. Wouldn’t it be lovely?
OI Parker
The excitement is definitely there but it does seem to be missing some kind of update on what the timing might be. There’s no official casting or confirmation of actors returning to their respective roles. Fornow, there’s a lot of excitement to give the franchise another chance but we might have to wait just a little bit until they officially get the cameras rolling and the music playing.
The unique take on the Addams Family in Tim Burton’s Wednesday has been quite the hit for Netflix. Not only did the Jenna Ortega-led project pass the one billion hours viewed mark, it even mananged to become their second most-watched U.S. show only behind the latest season of Stranger Things. So, it would seem logical that Netflix would give that series a second season any second now but it looks like we’ll still have to wait just a bit longer before they finally announce it.
In a new piece by Deadline, they reveal that producers are already talking to writers about a second season’s writer’s room while also looking into locations. Still, the announcement is not going to arrive before the year ends and likely won’t be confirmed by the New Year. The series was supplied by Amazon after their purchase of MGM and created a unique situation where two rival studios are working on the same show.
The current restructuring of MGM though by Amazon Studios is not expected to derail any plans for future seasons and it seems that renewal talks are going smoothly. With their purchase of MGM, they’ve ended up developing quite a few projects with other streamers, as the same is the case with The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu, Fargo on FX, Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix and more. So, it doesen’t seem like Amazon will suddenly decide to remove any of these projects for no reason.
With Phase 4 behind us and the start of Phase 5 right around the corner, fans are just starting to see the big picture of the Multiverse Saga. As of now, a dozen known films stand between fans and the end of the ongoing saga. Here’s the scoop on all 12.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania February 17, 2023
Written by Jeff Loveness Directred by Peyton Reed
A big-budget, universe-altering Ant-Man movie is probably a thing a lot of fans thought they’d never see, but that’s exactly what the third film in the franchise will be, according to executive producer Stephen Broussard who says Quantumania will “be big and feel central to the future of the MCU.” After being transported to the Quantum Realm through a device built by Kathryn Newton‘s Cassie, the Ant-Family will find themselves navigating their way through the strange land which Broussard warns is “full of people and characters and worlds and politics and history.” The first trailer for the film introduces a few of those characters including Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror, Bill Murray‘s Krylar and some other key inhabitants of the Quantum Realm but held back on revealing one of the film’s most over-the-top choices: the classic comic villain M.O.D.O.K.!
As Broussard says, Quantumania’s plot is central to the ongoing Multiverse Saga. Writer Jeff Loveness put together an incredible script and then moved on to write Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so you can be sure there’s significant connectivity between the two films. For a film that was once thought to be in danger of not being made or of being turned into a streaming series, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania certainly has an awful lot going for it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 May 5, 2023
Written and directed by James Gunn
James Gunn‘s last project for Marvel Studios will undoubtedly leave fans in tears next Summer. It’s the last go-round for this group of characters and the film will see the death of at least one of the team’s original crew and a significantly different-looking future for the rest. The film’s plot will revolve around the unspooling of Rocket’s origins which seems to dictate a trip to Counter-Earth where the team runs into the High Evolutionary. That trip is rumored to be the result of a run-in with Will Poulter‘s Adam Warlock, who was seen throwing a beating on Nebula in the film’s first trailer.
While the film marks the end of the road for this group of heroes and for Gunn’s time with them, there’s certainly going to be room for Cosmic heroes beyond this movie. Who will be on the team and who will put it together? And what will the future hold for those who stay?
The Marvels July 28, 2023
Written by Megan McDonnell Directed by Nia DaCosta
While ostensibly a sequel to Captain Marvel, it could also be a sequel to Ms. Marvel and WandaVision as well. The Marvels looks to be as tonally different from Captain Marvel as Captain America: The Winter Soldier was from Captain America: The First Avenger. Director Nia DaCosta has said she had a great time working with stars Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris and the footage screened at D23 would certainly seem to support that claim.
The film will include some wild body-swapping as Carol, Kamala and Monica switch places with one another as seen in the post-credit scene to Ms. Marvel. That’s all tied to the Kree villain played by Zawe Ashton, who finds herself in possession of an artifact that looks strikingly similar to Kamala Khan’s bangle. A good portion of the film will also take place in space and see Carol revisit Hala as well as introduce a few new locations. There are also some pretty interesting theories out there about how these artifacts might be either Nega or Quantum bands and how they might just play into the Avengers’ battle against Kang, so this film won’t be without its Multiverse Saga tie-ins.
Captain America: New World Order May 3, 2024
Written by Dalan Musson and Malcolm Spellman Directed by Julius Onah
At this point, this sounds like the craziest film on Marvel Studios 2024 slate and maybe one of the crazier films they’ve ever put together. The return on Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns/The Leader is just the tip of the iceberg. Harrison Ford is joining the MCU as Thaddeus Ross and rumors point to the long-awaited Red Hulk transformation finally happening. There are also rumors that Adamantium will be central to the film’s plot, which may also include Super Soldier-research again which makes one wonder if Weapons Plus will reemerge from the shadows. The project is also set to introduce a “Marvel mainstay” to the MCU and is rumored to be another key project along the way to the rumored World War Hulk film making Sam Wilson’s first big screen adventure as Captain America an incredibly important Phase 5 film.
Thunderbolts July 26, 2024
Written by Eric Pearson Directed by Jake Schreier
The latest rumors about this film indicate that it’s getting a rewrite and that an “evil Superman” plays a key role. If the aforementioned reemergence of Weapons Plus happens in Captain America: New World Order, that “evil Superman” might just turn out to be Sentry and that would make for either one wild ride or one ultra-nerfed character. The team that was rolled out at D23 was very Super Soldier and spy-heavy and would be shredded by a comic book-accurate Sentry. Fan theories continue to swirl that Zemo and Abomination are “secret” members of the team or that that, like in The Suicide Squad, there’s a second team of Tbolts in the mix. It doesn’t seem like any of those things were true in the early drafts for the project, but who knows what a rewrite might fix?!
Blade September 6, 2024
Written by Michael Starrbury Directed by Yann Demange
Obviously this one has had some issues, but Marvel Studios feels good about the new direction in which it’s headed. Earlier versions of the project didn’t have quite enough action for a vampire-hunting film and the hope is that the new version of the project will feel a bit more like those great, old Tomb of Dracula comics than anything.
Untitled Deadpool and Wolverine Film November 8, 2024
Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick Directed by Shawn Levy
This project went from one nobody could quite figure out to one that is starting to sound like it may be the most “Multiversal” project of the Multiverse Saga. Theories continue to center on the film being an adaptation of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and rumors about the inclusion of Owen Wilson‘s Mobius and the rest of the TVA playing a role make it sound like this will be the Incursion-heavy movie fans thought Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would be. At this rate, it seems like the film will be trimming all kinds of branches ahead of Avengers: Secret Wars.
Fantastic Four February 14, 2025
Written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer Directed by Matt Shakman
Fantastic Four has been gestating way too long at Marvel Studios, but it looks like it’s back on track and it sounds as though it’s going to make a splash. Rumors of the Silver Surfer appearing and of a Multiversal Council of Reeds persist, making this one a pretty big mover and shaker for the future of the Multiverse Saga. It’s also just the beginning of what should shape up to be a decade of stories about Marvel’s First Family, so taking their time on this one is essential.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty May 2, 2025
Written by Jeff Loveness Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Is the rumored title of Shang-Chi and The Wreckage of Time legit? If so, it would seem to indicate that Jonathan Majors might play a role in this sequel as well as another Variant of Nathaniel Richards? Introducing Immortus into the mix would make Avengers: Secret Wars even more interesting…
But truly, nothing is known about this movie at the moment, not even if that title is correct or if it’ll land before or after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Armor Wars TBD
Written by Yassir Lester
Originally intended to be a streaming series, Armor Wars will now turn out to be Don Cheadle’s debut as a leading man in the MCU after having been around forever! This one has ties to Secret Invasion but could it also have ties to the events of Captain America: New World Order? Given that it’s coming pretty late in the Multiverse Saga, it may have lasting implications beyond it and if those Adamantium rumors are true, that precious metal might play into this film. Remember that the MCU doesn’t do one-for-one adaptations of comics, so while this is called Armor Wars, don’t expect it to follow the template from the 1980s arc.
Avengers: Secret Wars May 1, 2026
Written by Michael Waldron
The capstone of the Multiverse Saga and what will undoubtedly be the most epic event of Marvel Studios long history, Avengers: Secret Wars is sure to work, in part, as a reunion of sorts for some of great icons of Marvel’s cinematic history. Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. Scarlett Johansson, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield have all been rumored to appear already and more names will be added to the list in the next 3+ years. It’s also very likely that this film will set the table for whatever the next great Saga will be in the MCU and that one will come bearing mutants.
You might read the title of this article and denounce Avatar: The Way of Water‘s chances at reaching a billion, as the film is now set to only hit the lower end of expectations at around $150M, though it could go as low as $130M depending on how it tracks over the weekend. We’ve seen this countless times throughout 2022 that the predictions aren’t as accurate as they once were and models have been struggling to really pinpoint where the needle is moving in regards to audience interest.
As of now, the film has pulled in $53M domestically with another $127M worldwide. With $180.1M worldwide it’s definitely tracking among the best of the year and with the Holidays around the corner, it’ll leg out quite a bit over the next few weeks without any real competition. It’s international release is also enjoying that additional Chinese box office that many other big blockbusters haven’t had a chance to enjoy but it comes at a time where COVID is running rampant in that country once again.
Also, we can’t forget that three hour runtime and its impact on viewership, especially when you’re going to invest time to sit there that long in a 3D film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was also on the longer side which affected its box office run early on with less showtimes. Either way, the film has definitely going to pass or even double 2009’s $77M domestic opening but the question remains if it’ll have the legs it needs. It’s opening around the same as Top Gun: Maverick which ended up legging out to an impressive $1.49B. Though, the film might need to do quite a bit more to prove successful given its massive budget.
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