With little competition, it seems that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had no problem keeping its hold on the No. 1 spot with another $17.6M. That makes it the fourth weekend in a row; the first to do so since the release of Sony and Marvel Studios’ record-breaking Spider-Man: No Way Home. It did have some competition this weekend as David Harbour‘s Violent Night, a story about John Wick if he was Santa Clause, managed to pull in $13.3M over its premiere weekend, ahead of early projections.
Wakanda Forever now stands at $394M domestic and will definitely pass $400M and has a good chance at pulling in $450M by the end of its run. If the film will manage to hold that top spot in the next weekend depends on the return of Top Gun: Maverick which has been the only film so far to really outperform any expectation during 2022’s release. For those wondering if this means people are tired of superhero films: it had a pull with a long-dormant audience with its increase of older movie goers that may have generally been cautious ever since the pandemic hit and simply held a nostalgia for Tom Cruise and Top Gun. Good word-of-mouth did the rest.
Worldwide, Black Panther has already passed the $700M mark and proudly stands at $733M. It’s foreign tally of $339M is quite interesting as normally Marvel productions are bigger internationally than domestically though the split was similar with the original Black Panther release. The film is unlikely to pass the original’s run and a billion does seem far-fetched, more dependent on how long Marvel Studios can keep it in theaters at this point. Still, in the later $800M area seems possible but there’s some uncertainty if it can pull through with $900M; though Doctor Strange did surprise earlier this year as well.
Strange World is continuing to bomb as it is struggling quite a bit with only $4.9M taking in over the weekend and standing at a depressing $25.5M. With $42.3M worldwide, the film is likely to lose Disney more than $100M at this rate. Also to make a point regarding Top Gun earlier, Jonathan Majors and Adam Powell‘s Devotion didn’t quite become the same hit like Top Gun did earlier this year while trying to bandwagon off of its success with a similar style only set during the Korean War. It still did decently with a 12-day domestic of $13.8M, pulling in $2.8M this weekend.
Daredevil is back, but with the exception of Vincent D’Onofrio, there’s not much known about the original caste from the Netflix era. Elden Henson played Matt Murdock’s best friend Foggy Nelson while Deborah Ann Woll took on the role of Karen Page. While Charlie Cox did make his return to the MCU with a new Daredevil series Born Again heading to Disney, there’s not much word about the rest of the original cast.
As shared on Twitter by user @sameperfectlive, Cox got a chance to tlak about a potential recasting and shared his thoughts on how he views his work on the original show with Henson and Woll. If he has anything to say, it seems they’d definitely once again return to their iconic roles.
I don’t know what’s going to happen with the other characters in the new show. But, I know for a fact that Elden and Deborah were the heartbeat of what we did before and the show is a success because of them.
Charlie Cox
Of course, there’s no official casting announcement just yet, and we don’t know how much this series will take from his original adventure in the three Netflix seasons as well as The Defenders spinoff. They are also available on Disney+, but Marvel Studios is not restricted to follow exactly how they set everything up.
Born Again is set to be the longest-running Disney+ series by Marvel Studios, which does open up more opportunities to explore their characters. If they do continue where the original left off, they could’ve easily focused more on the trio’s new agency once again. For now, we can only hope that an announcement comes soon.
Director James Gunn has promised an emotional ride for fans when they finally sit down to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The film is set to act as the finale for the titular team and their time together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as a goodbye from Gunn to his years working at Marvel Studios. A trailer for the threequel, which recently debuted at Brazil Comic Con, embraced the poignant tone set by the occasion and featured plenty of footage that seemed to hint at somebody not making it out of the film alive. The previous entries in the franchise have both been full of heartbreaking moments, the circumstances of which usually have something to do with a major character taking their last breath, and it would stand to reason Gunn wouldn’t finish off the trilogy without taking at least one more cast member with him.
With the future of the Guardians currently so up in the air, it feels like any one of the lovably dysfunctional, intergalactic misfits could end up biting the stardust. Nobody is truly safe, but it’s likely some are probably safer than others. Not every character feels quite as poised to end their on-screen journey, even if nothing is really off the table. As such, the situation begs for a ranking of the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy in order of their likelihood to face an untimely demise at the hands of Vol. 3.
Here’s how it all shakes out:
1. Rocket
This is the one everyone has been assuming for a while, and honestly, everyone has a good chance of being totally correct. While there’s been a lot of talk about certain characters “meeting their maker” by the end of Vol. 3, Bradley Cooper‘s Rocket will be the only one taking the phrase seriously. Gunn‘s trilogy capper is confirmed to explore the origins of Rocket in the MCU and will bring the anthropomorphic animal face-to-face with the man who created him – Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary. The film will deal with the fallout of this reunion and dig into its impact on the team as a whole, something that may feel familiar to fans of the franchise. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 pulled a similar move in expanding upon the origin of Michael Rooker‘s Yondu Udonta before killing him off in a soul-stirring sequence of self-sacrifice. At this point, it really feels like Gunn might do the same with Rocket in the follow-up.
To elaborate just a little further, Rocket has thus far enjoyed one of the most well-developed character arcs the MCU has been able to offer, and a definitive conclusion to that arc in Vol. 3 would be a natural way for the unlikely hero’s story to end. If that weren’t enough, Gunn himself has gone on record multiple times to state Vol. 3 would be a “send-off” for his favorite protagonist, repeating himself as recently as last month in an interview with Deadline:
The reason why I needed to finish this is because I love the character of Rocket more than any character I’ve ever dealt with before, and I needed to finish his story and that is what Volume 3 is about. I absolutely needed to do it, and I think we’ve done it in a spectacular way that I can’t wait for people to see.
James Gunn
It’s possible this is all one big ruse to hide the actual big death in the movie, but if that’s the case, it’s one of the better cons ever pulled by a director. This one feels too obvious.
2. Drax
There isn’t much story-wise that directly points to a coming expiration for Dave Bautista‘s Drax the Destroyer, but a few real-world instances have shot the character to the top half of the “probably going to die” list. To put it plainly, Bautista himself has been very open about his intention to leave Drax behind after Vol. 3, and with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special fulfilling the dream of a Drax/Mantis project coming to life, Gunn has been able to do pretty much everything he’s publicly stated he wanted to do with the blood-loving, soft-hearted space warrior. Bautista, never one to mince words, has been referring to Vol. 3 as his last ride for a while now and even posted a farewell message on his Instagram back in May.
The only reason Drax isn’t a more surefire bet than Rocket is because there’s still a decent amount of comic book material the MCU could work with in the future. At this point, the films have not yet drawn from the comic return of his long-thought-deceased daughter in the form of Moondragon, which could prove to be a wonderful plotline for a future movie or series. However, that could simply be a surprise twist Gunn is hiding for Vol. 3, and if so, her appearance may seal Drax’s fate immediately. After all, Bautista‘s career is on the rise, with several other projects on his plate. He may be on board to leave the MCU on a high note. Also, #GoodbyeDrax doesn’t sound all that promising.
3. Nebula
Perhaps a sleeper pick for the film’s big passing, Karen Gillan‘s Nebula actually has evidence going against her survival both on the screen and off. Much like Rocket, Gillan‘s rough-and-tumble space pirate has undergone a bit of a transformation since audiences first saw her in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Nebula started as an antagonist for the titular heroes, but has since become a trusted member of the team, and even served as an impromptu Avenger for a brief period of time. Also like Rocket, Gunn has gone on record in the past to say Nebula’s dramatic development over the course of his three films has been planned from the very beginning. Standard knowledge of plot structure would imply that, if her story was conceptualized as having three parts, an end for the character is, at the very least, somewhere in sight.
Furthermore, both Gunn and his buddy, actor and comedian Seth Green, have stated that Vol. 3‘s script is quite heavy on Nebula. An increased amount of screen time in the last project a character is planned to appear in is, often, not a great sign for anyone hoping to see them continue living. Green specifically commented on a lot of the plot revolving around the relationship between Nebula and her sister, Gamora. If one of those two had to sacrifice themself for the other, as will be outlined later, there’s a higher chance of it being the former. Gillan herself may have also put a final nail in the Nebula coffin, taking a page from Bautista‘s book and giving her character a send-off on Instagram:
Sure, she says it’s possible this is Nebula’s “final chapter”, but at least she left a little room for hope at the beginning.
4. Star-Lord
What better way to close a trilogy than to kill off the main character? Of course, the answer is giving them a happy ending everyone can enjoy, but something like that might not carry the kind of gut-punch Gunn is aiming for with Vol. 3. Chris Pratt‘s Peter Quill, the self-proclaimed Star-Lord, has been the heart and soul of the Guardians since the franchise launched in 2014. He is, for all intents and purposes, the lead of the trilogy, which automatically puts him in contention for a big death to close it all off. This is especially true when one considers how willing Quill has been to die for his found family at the end of both previous films, and how absolutely heart-wrenching Gunn and company know it would be to have him meet his mother again in some sort of afterlife. Not saying that will happen literally, but the internet does love to make edits.
The major thing holding Peter back from the top of the list is the massive potential he holds for the future of the MCU’s cosmic storytelling. Even if he’s no longer a leader of the Guardians, Star-Lord is a central figure in most of the comics’ best intergalactic stories and is complex enough to transform for a new era in much the same way as Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor. It may feel like Quill is destined to end with the trilogy that made him a star(lord), but it might actually just be the conclusion of one book before another is opened. It seems just a little more likely that Pratt gets some time off from playing Peter before coming back as a changed man down the line.
5. Mantis
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special just gave Pom Klementieff‘s Mantis a pretty big emotional connection to the heart of the franchise’s story and did a great job of engraining her forever as a Guardians fan-favorite. While this is all well and good, they could also just be setting it up to hurt more when Mantis is offed by the end of Vol. 3. Truthfully, though, Mantis is probably safe. She’s a newer character to the franchise, with a lot of room left to explore. That doesn’t instantly save her from death, but it would make her a pretty good through line between the next iteration of the Guardians and the team that came before. Also, there isn’t much in the way of evidence to point toward curtains in Mantis’ near future. In fact, there’s more evidence going the other way, with Klementieff recently making an appearance on the D23 Inside Disney podcast and making a few comments that hint toward a continued existence in the MCU.
When asked if there would be more adventures for Mantis in a post-Vol. 3 world, the actress replied carefully, not giving anything away but not really hinting at a demise either:
I can’t say much because, you know, the movie’s going to be released a long time from now, in May. But what I can say is that, again, it’s going to be very funny but also extremely emotional. And it’s going to be, in some ways, you know, the end of a chapter, as the Guardians of the Galaxy family. So we’ll see what happens after, you know? It’s not like ‘over over’ but, you know, it’s still…it’s going to be different after.
Pom Klementieff
When asked a follow-up about starring in a Mantis solo project, Klemetieff responded, “Yes! Oh, that’d be fun for sure“. It doesn’t really sound like she’s expecting her journey to end in Vol. 3.
6. Gamora
Reader, Gamora has already died in the MCU. That’s the main argument to be made against Zoe Saldana‘s space assassin having a big, dramatic death in Vol. 3. Granted, one might be able to see the storytelling advantages of killing her off a second time. She means a whole lot to several members of the main group, and the idea of getting her back – against all odds – just to so quickly lose her again could work in the way of total devastation for fans and the film’s cast alike. It’s also possible that the team finds themselves in a situation where someone has to go, and Gamora volunteers herself knowing she’s displaced from her real timeline anyway. It’s just that all of that comes off as cheap on paper, and Gunn isn’t going for anything cheap in his final Marvel outing. Unless there’s a fantastic concept for a second Gamora death scene, it isn’t supremely likely that the creatives behind the Guardians double down on tears for Saldana.
7. Kraglin
One might assume Sean Gunn‘s Kraglin is disqualified from death in Vol. 3 because he’s not a big enough character to elicit the proper audience reaction, but that’s pretty silly thinking. At this point, everyone should have grasped the concept that no character is too small to bring tears to viewers’ eyes. Especially in James Gunn‘s hands. The real reason Kraglin is disqualified from death is that he’s the obvious future of the Ravagers, and he can’t perish before nailing down how to control that darned arrow. When Vol. 3 opens, Gamora will be in charge of the Ravagers, but there’s only a very tiny chance that is still true by the time credits roll. If she doesn’t remain as captain of the Ravagers, it only seems fitting that Kraglin finally ascend to his rightful place. This is the ending he deserves, and both Gunn brothers know it.
8. Groot
Vin Diesel‘s Groot will probably survive Vol. 3 on the same clause keeping Gamora alive, and that’s the simple fact that Gunn has already killed him off once before. The original Groot met a perfect and beautiful end during the climax of the first film, and it’s hard to imagine his son topping it at such a young age in Vol. 3. The more interesting plotline would be Groot finding his way in the galaxy without Rocket by his side, something that feels more and more bound to happen as the release date draws near.
9. Cosmo
After making a short cameo in the first film and landing a supporting role in the Holiday Special, Maria Bakalova‘s Cosmo will become an official member of the Guardians when Vol. 3 eventually lands in theaters. The thing is, there’s almost no way she dies in the movie. Not only is she essentially still a brand new character, who has massive potential as a founding member of the Guardians 2.0, but there is not a soul attending the premiere of Vol. 3 who wants to see the adorable talking dog eat it so fast? That seems harsh even for noted horror connoisseur James Gunn.
Season 2 of Loki is set to stream on Disney Plus sometime in the Summer of 2023 and following a reported screening of the first two episodes to Disney employees, some details are starting to emerge. While some are a little spoilery than others, one detail that should be pretty safe is the identity of fan-favorite actor Ke Hey Quan’s character which comes from insider Daniel RPK.
Quan, who starred in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies in the 80s, was announced as part of the cast of the second season by Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige at D23 in Anaheim, but no details were given at the time. According to the new report, Quan will be playing a character called Oroboros, the TVA’s tech specialist, and will go by “B-O.”
A character known as Mr. Orobouros, one of a group of clones TVA employees that included Mobius M. Mobius, was first introduced to the pages of Marvel Comics in 2006 during Dan Slott’s Time Trials arc on She-Hulk. However, Marvel Studios has essentially reinvented the TVA for the MCU and it seems safe to say that Quan’s character will be a mostly original character who happens to share a name with a comic book character.
Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has sold over 275 million books since the original was published in 2007. Over the last 15 years, Kinney has published 17 books in the main series, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde, which was released just this past October. The beloved series has expanded into supplemental books, a spinoff series and live-action films, and, most recently, animated films on Disney Plus. The first film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, debuted on the streaming service in December of 2021 and now the first sequel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, has followed.
Much like 2021’s entry into what looks to be a growing animated franchise (the third book in the series is already being developed for release on Disney Plus) plays out over an easily-digestible runtime. Also, like 2021’s entry (and presumably all future entries) Kinney has adapted his own original work into the screenplay which makes Rodrick Rules feel like a bit of a highlight reel of all the important beats from the book. At the heart of the story is the relationship between the franchise’s central character, Greg, and his older brother, notorious slacker Rodrick. Greg, voiced by a returning Brady Noon, finds himself with some leverage over Rodrick when the older brother throws a huge party when their parents are away. Over the course of the film, Greg’s relationship with Rodrick is tested and strained as a result of said leverage allowing the nature of family, specifically sibling relationships, to be explored. A visit with their grandfather, voiced by Ed Asner in his final role, sets the stage for Greg to do some tough thinking about the present and future of his relationship with Rodrick.
Though Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules plays as a CliffsNotes version of either the novel or the 2011 live-action film, the theme comes across loud and clear, especially during the climax at the talent show in which Greg, following an emotional conversation with his grandfather, makes a choice about where he will stand in his relationship with Rodrick. Like 2021’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick Rules seems aimed at younger audiences. The animation, the short runtime, the shortened plot and the simple themes should all make this and future installments fit Kinney’s goals of telling more emotional stories on Disney Plus.
The Mutants are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While some theories expected a longer wait with the iconic Marvel characters to appear after the Multiverse Saga has come to an end, but Marvel Studios is going at it one step at a time. We first met a familiar face in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with the 90s theme, which was later used to recontextualize a reveal in Ms. Marvel.
Now, we have the word once again spoken by Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; the first to be well-aware of his mutant status in the MCU given how different he is from his own people of Talocan. During the Q&A after the CCXP event showcasing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked on if we can expect more mutants in the near future and he definitely seemed optimistic
No, look, we’ve already met a few. There’s a new Mutant named Namor that you might’ve met recently. So, more to come.
Kevin Feige
Of course, the head of the production company is not going to give away what we can expect. We do know that Deadpool 3 will give Hugh Jackman one more chance to play Wolverine; hopefully finally wearing his iconic outfit. And, there are many opportunities to slowly introduce various versions of these characters throughout upcoming projects. Now, we just have to wait and see if the X-Men will get their time int he spotlight or if they even existed throughout MCU’s history to begin with.
It looks like Sloclap is ready to adapt their recently released game SIFU into a live-action feature. They’ve decided to partner with Story Kitchen to bring the project to life, whose partner Derek Kolstad, who many might know from his work on John Wick, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Nobody, and many more, to adapt the script. Dmitri M. Johnson is set to produce the project alongside Mike Godlberg, Dan Jevons, and Timothy I. Stevenson for Story Kitchen. Kolstad naturally also is on board as a producer.
It’s unclear how they’ll adapt the story, as its main “concept” was built around a gamification element. It’s a revenge story taking place in modern China, where a student of a martial arts school witnesses the murder of his mentor and goes on a revenge-filled spree to take those down responsible for his death. It’s built around the gimmick that he has a magical talisman that revives him but t the price of him growing older.
The game was a big success and even went on to get nominated for quite a few awards. The main premise of SIFU is perfect for a film but it’ll be interesting to see how they adapt the concept of him being revived but only older. They could go for a Groundhog Day-inspired story or simply have him come back but visibly older.
It also raises the question if the main star might be cast in different age groups, or they’ll heavily rely on aging or de-aging technology and practical effects to keep the same actor. Whatever direction they might go, Kolstad‘s work is definitely a showcase that they have the right man for the job.
As it turns out though, Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer seeemingly confirms that they are still developing the project alongside multiple Pirates projects. At this point, it’s all about the script coming together that may rejuvinate the project once more given enough time.
I think that that script will come forward at a certain point. We developed two different stories for ‘Pirates’ and the other one’s going forward first, so that’s what we’re working on, to try to get that one made.
Jerry Bruckheimer
We first heard about the project back in 2020 with two projects in development. One was with Robbie leading the charge and another that had Ted Elliot and Craig Mazin attached to write, which would act as a second reboot. Bruckheimer worked on all previous entries of the Pirates franchise and sadly it seems that it’s not quite picking up development as hoped.
At this point, it does seem like they are focusing work on the one led by Robbie but if that script doesn’t truly come together, she may jump ship if she already believes that the project is dead. For now, we’ll have to keep waiting until they truly move forward.
Lionsgate’s John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, has added Lance Reddick to its cast. The news was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter with the outlet reporting Reddick will reprise his role as Charon, a concierge at the Continental. He will star opposite leading lady Ana de Armas, as well as Angelica Huston and Ian McShane. The film follows a young woman with killer skills who uses said skills to get revenge when her family is killed by hitmen and is set within the John Wick cinematic universe.
Reddick has appeared in every John Wick film to date as Charon and reprises the character once again in John Wick: Chapter 4. Outside of the John Wick universe, Reddick has recently appeared in such titles as the final season of Bosch as Deputy Chief Irvin Irving and Netflix’sResident Evil series. Reddick also has roles in upcoming projects, such as Shirley, starring opposite Regina King, and Kenya Bariss‘ White Men Can’t Jump remake.
The movie is being produced by John Wick director Chad Stahelski, Basil Iwanyk, and Erica Lee. The project is being overseen by Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa for Lionsgate. Production on Ballerina is currently underway, with Len Wiseman (Underworld) directing from a screenplay by Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 4). As of now, the film does not yet have a release date.
Kate Dickie has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadline announced today that the Game of Thrones actress secretly, but officially, joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ Loki for its upcoming second season at some point during filming. While exact details surrounding Dickie‘s role are still being kept under wraps, the outlet stated it’s believed she will be playing a villain when she appears in the series. Production on the second season of Loki has already been completed, so the former Tinsel Town star was likely added to the cast quietly several months ago.
She joins returning leads Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino, as well as Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Eugene Cordero, and Tara Strong. The only other confirmed newcomers, at this time, are Blindspotting star Rafael Casal, whose role is also still unknown, and Ke Huy Quan.
Loki Season 2 is set to be directed by the duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, taking over for Kate Herron from the first season, and written by Eric Martin, who replaces Michael Waldron. Plot details for the show’s second outing are sparse, but it’s expected to pick up where the previous season finale left off, with Hiddleston‘s Loki mysteriously stuck in a foreign version of the Time Variance Authority, seemingly run by a variant of Jonathan Majors‘ He Who Remains. It is unknown if Majors will return.
There is no current release date for Loki‘s second season, though it is slated to premiere sometime in the middle of 2023.
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