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  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Taking Over New York City in 2023

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Taking Over New York City in 2023

    The announcement of Daredevil: Born Again as an 18-episode streaming series brought a lot of questions with it. Would the series stream for 18 consecutive weeks? Would the episodes be broken into groups or pods? How long will it take to film something like that? Thanks to a report from The Illuminerdi, it looks like we have an answer to one of those questions.

    Daredevil: Born Again is one of three Disney Plus streaming series set to film in the first half of 2023, joining Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Wonder Man. Early word had the Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio-led Daredevil series headed to New York City for production, returning to the familiar locations fans grew accustomed to over 3 seasons of the Netflix series. The new report from the Illuminderdi confirms that and adds that production is expected to last nearly all of 2023, beginning in February and wrapping in December. A short break is scheduled in August, but it looks like fans will have plenty of time to catch a glimpse of the production as it goes on.

    While Marvel Studios uses the Atlanta area for much of their stateside productions, Daredevil: Born Again won’t be the first project to be out and about on the streets of New York City. Hawkeye filmed a significant portion of its six episodes in the Big Apple, allowing for fans and paps to catch actors on set, including the first look at Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. There’s no way of knowing just how much fans can expect to see Cox and D’Onofrio on the streets, or across the skyline, but regardless of that filming in New York City rather than turning the streets of Atlanta into a replica will bring a bit of verisimilitude to the project, which is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2024.

    Source: The Illuminderdi

  • Chris Pratt’s ‘Garfield’ Adds Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang

    Chris Pratt’s ‘Garfield’ Adds Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang

    Many will remember the upcoming animated Garfield film mostly for the memes that were generated out of the coincidence of Chris Pratt not only voicing this film#s main character but also the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie. It turned into a joke that Pratt was set to voice any character that was animated. Still, the film is moving forward and has added quite a cast since its initial announcement.

    Ving Rhames, Hannah Waddingham, Cecily Strong, Nicholas Hoult, and even Samuel L. Jackson have joined the production in various roles. Now, the new animated film has also added SNL’s Bowen Yang alongside Ted Lasso Emmy winner Brett Goldstein. David Reynolds of Finding Nemo fame has written the script with Paul Kaplan and Mark Torgove. The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little director Mark Dindal is set to adapt it for the silver screen.

    The film will adapt the famous cartoon cat from Jim Davis, who made Jon Arbuckle’s life a living hell alongside the lovable dog Odie. In 2004, the first live-action. and animated hybrid was released with Bill Murray in the title role. The series has been going strong ever since it started in 1978, but even developed its rather curious fanbase online with the concept of Gorefield taking the adorable cat and adding some Lovecraftian elements to it. The upcoming film is very likely to stay away from that idea and offer a child-friendly film, it’s been an interesting rabbit hole exploring the cat’s influence on the internet.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • James Cameron Open to End ‘Avatar’ With Third Entry if ‘The Way of Water’ Bombs

    James Cameron Open to End ‘Avatar’ With Third Entry if ‘The Way of Water’ Bombs

    It’s hard to deny that James Cameron has been quite ambitious when it was first revealed that he was not only returning to the Avatar series but also had four more sequels in some form of development. After a long wait since the first film made box office history ever since it was released in 2009, The Way of Water is finally set to release next month in December. Cameron has already filmed the third entry and it seems that they may not move forward if the upcoming Avatar sequel bombs.

    In an interview with Film Total, Cameron discussed the possibility of not going forward with his five-film plan but rather wrapping up the story with its already filmed third entry. There’s no word if Disney is also setting its eyes on the upcoming release to set the benchmark on what to expect for the franchise, but it definitely seems like the record-breaking director is set to keep a close eye on how it performs.

    The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘OK, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly’, if it’s just not profitable. We’re in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even. It’s the one-two punch – the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we’ll remind people what going to the theatre is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a shit now?

    James Cameron

    Cameron is very likely to not disappoint at the box office, especially as early projections already have the film set to break some records even if it might not get close to the first entry. Given that the four films have a billion dollars behind it, it’s no wonder that they hope to make some money off of the new entries and we’ll have to wait a bit longer before we know if a lot more Avatar is heading our way.

    Source: Film Total

  • ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Adds Sasheer Zamata and Eric André

    ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Adds Sasheer Zamata and Eric André

    It looks like the cast for the upcoming WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, continues to grow as we have some more casting news from Deadline. Sasheer Zamata, an alumna from Saturday Night Live, has joined the cast in an undisclosed role. Not just that, it seems that Eric André may have also booked at least an episode of the show. Jac Schaeffer is developing the series as part of their new deal with Marvel and 20th Century, which will further explore the character of Agatha Harkness, who was introduced to Marvel Studios’ first Disney+ series with Kathryn Hahn in the role.

    There are still many questions surrounding what we may expect from a Disney+ project focused on the character of Agatha Harkness. There is hope that we get a better look at the magical corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the concept of witches feels like the perfect concept to combine Doctor Strange’s more bombastic look at magic with the horror elements we witnessed in Werewolf by Night.

    There’s definitely a lot of potential with the concept and hopefully, it also means that Hahn‘s character will have a bigger role in the MCU moving forward. Harkness was famously the babysitter for the children of Reed Richards and Sue Storm of Fantastic Four fame. It would certainly be a fun surprise if she somehow ends up appearing in the upcoming film, even if it’s just a minor role. Well, we’ll find out what exactly Marvel Studios has planned for the character once the series releases next year.

    Source: Deadline

  • Daryl Dixon’s ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff Adds 2 to Cast

    Daryl Dixon’s ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff Adds 2 to Cast

    The Walking Dead is coming to an end, long live The Walking Dead. As AMC has been busy promoting the end of its long-running series while also promoting the next generation with various spinoffs in some form of development. Among them is one focused primarily on Daryl Dixon. Norman Reedus is set to lead the series as his iconic character once again, as he seemingly finds his way to Europe.

    Now, the upcoming spinoff series has added two to its cast. Clémence Poésy from The Essex Serpent and Chernobyl‘s Adam Nagaitis will join the cast with the latter also once again returning to AMC after having appeared in The Terror. Little is still known about the spinoff series outside of it taking place in France as we explore a new corner of this zombie-infested world.

    Poésy is set to take on the role of Isabelle, the female lead of this project, who is a member of a religious group and ends up having to confront her dark past. Nagaitis will take on the role of a black market and nightclub owner that has made quite a living in the post-apocalypse. Melissa McBride was originally also going to have a big role in the series but opted out of the project. So, it’ll be interesting to see how they tackle her absence and generally what exactly would inspire Dixon to find his way across the Atlantic.

    Soruce: Deadline

  • Lin-Manuel Miranda Joins Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson’ Series as Hermes

    Lin-Manuel Miranda Joins Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson’ Series as Hermes

    Many were excited when the announcement dropped that Percy Jackson and the Olympians were in development as a series. While many have a soft spot for the two films exploring the iconic books series by Rick Riordan, there still was some hope to finally see the entire series realized. Luckily, Disney+ has taken on the task of bringing the story of young Percy Jackson to life, as he uncovers his true heritage and enters a Greek mythology-filled world that he never knew existed.

    The production has been going on for quite some time and the only castings many have been wondering about who might take on the role of the iconic Gods of the Greek pantheon. After a long wait, it seems we finally have our first casting in that regard, as Lin Manuel Miranda has been announced to be taking on the role of Hermes in the Disney+ series.

    The main trio will consist of Walker Scobell as our titular hero, Leah Sava Jeffries in the role of Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood rounding out the cast played by Aryan Simhadri. The series has been quite impressive, especially when D23 gave us a first look at the series offering a very book-accurate depiction of Camp Half-Blood.

    The role was originally played by Logan Lerman, who famously took on the role in the two live-action films that were released in 2010 and 2013, which adapted The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters. As the second film underperformed at the box office, it wasn’t able to move onward as there were plans to adapt The Titan’s Curse that never came together. Now that 20th Century Fox was purchased by Disney, it gave them the opportunity to bring us this new Disney+ series with a whole new cast.

    Source: Twitter

  • New Details Emerge about the Origin and Death of the Vulture in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 4’

    New Details Emerge about the Origin and Death of the Vulture in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Sam Raimi‘s unmade Spider-Man 4 has long been a giant question mark to fans, but some exciting new details are finally becoming public. It’s been known for a long time that Hollywood legend John Malkovich would have portrayed Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, in the film, had it come to fruition, but his character’s actual role in the plot has always been shrouded in mystery. Luckily for those who want more information, an upcoming book centered on Spider-Man, Sean O’Connell‘s With Great Power, has shed a little bit of light on the matter.

    According to the novel, Raimi‘s Vulture would have been a modernized version of the villain, who utilized razor-sharp blades on his wings as a primary form of weaponry. He also would have been quite the vicious adversary for Tobey Maguire‘s hero, with a featured scene specifically designed to be on par with Alfred Molina‘s infamously terrifying hospital sequence in Spider-Man 2. Instead of a grotesque transformation, however, the scene in question would have seen Vulture lurking over a library, picking off goons sent to take him down. Storyboard artist Jeffrey Henderson confirmed this was an example of how the antagonist would have received his nickname, explaining it as part of the character’s planned origin in the movie:

    He was essentially a guy that did as a lot of ugly stuff for the government, did a lot of ugly stuff as a private contractor… I thought a clever thing to do would be to say that part of the reason they called him The Vulture was because when he was done, he didn’t leave anything but bones behind.

    Jeffrey Henderson

    Furthermore, With Great Power reveals exactly how Vulture would have perished in Spider-Man 4. The plan was for Spider-Man and his winged foe to have a climactic battle that began in the New York City subway system and ended atop the Citicorp Center on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, with Vulture gaining the upper hand before things go sideways. Henderson explains:

    They were going to have a big brawl-for-it-all, where Vulture almost kills Spider-Man. And then Spider-Man at the last minute—he’s really wounded, he’s bleeding really badly, he’s in real trouble—Peter finally, almost as a reaction, forces The Vulture off. When he does, it snaps some of the stuff from the wings, so he ends up just tumbling into the ether, off the top of the Citicorp building. That’s what does him in.

    Jeffrey Henderson

    The book goes on to explain that, after Toomes’ death, his daughter would have stepped in as the main villain for the movie’s third act. It sounds like this version of the Vulture would have been wildly different than the one Michael Keaton eventually brought to life in Spider-Man: Homecoming, even if the later adaptation is still adored by fans.

    Source: The Direct

  • Kumail Nanjiani Cast Some Doubt on the Status of ‘Eternals 2’

    Kumail Nanjiani Cast Some Doubt on the Status of ‘Eternals 2’

    Marvel Studios Eternals served as a departure from the “Marvel formula” that has often been at the center of criticism of MCU films. Ironically enough, the departure from that formula became the center of criticism of Eternals, leaving fans wondering when, and maybe even if, a sequel might happen. Earlier this year, however, Patton Oswalt, who voiced Pip the Troll in a sequence that could set the stage for a potential sequel, claimed that a sequel was in the works. Shortly after that statement, it seemed clear that Oswalt was just repeating something he’d read online and not prematurely sharing any official info.

    In an interview with The Playlist, Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani gave a little insight into what the situation with Oswalt may have been all about.

    I have no idea. I don’t think Patton was right. I think that there was a hoax website – one of those where it’s like one letter off from the real one. They tweeted it, and it spread around and I think that’s what Patton saw.

    Kumail Nanjiani

    While Nanjiani obviously isn’t able to speak for Oswalt, it does sound like he may have a little better grip on exactly what happened. While Eternals 2 doesn’t seem to be a sure thing, Nanjiani’s Kingo, who was one of the film’s brightest spots, will be referenced in two upcoming MCU projects and, according to the star, he’d love to continue playing him.

    I honestly don’t know anything. I would love for Kingo to come back. I love playing that character…That one’s very fun to play, you’re just in a good mood. You do finger guns, you’re like a movie star – what’s not to love? You’re just in a good mood the entire time.

    Kumail Nanjiani

    Having a group of characters such as the Eternals in the shared universe without them ever showing up again or interacting with corners and characters is certainly hard to imagine; however, there’s no guarantee that any future interactions or arcs involving the characters will be part of a sequel. Some of the characters have been Avengers in the past and with two Avengers team-ups on the slate, they could show up there as the Multiverse Saga concludes. Until official word comes down from Marvel Studios, it remains best practice to remember that the actors are often the last one’s to know what’s going on behind the scenes.

    Source: The Playlist

  • Netflix to Adapt ‘Gears of War’ for Feature Film and Animated Series

    Netflix to Adapt ‘Gears of War’ for Feature Film and Animated Series

    Another marquee video game franchise has officially found its streaming home. It has been revealed that Netflix has acquired the media rights to produce projects based around the Gears of War video game series. This comes after what has been described as a competitive negotiation process over the past number of months. The franchise had gradually become one of the most successful for the Xbox consoles. The announcement comes on the 16th anniversary of the franchise launch.

    After coming out as the victors in the bidding war, Netflix has high aims for Gears of War to become a stalwart for the service, including the production of a live-action feature film based on the franchise. This will then be followed by transitioning the intellectual property into an adult-animated series. No creative member has yet to be attached to either project. If both the film and the animated series go well, then Netflix would then plan to further expand the franchise. Video game adaptations have tended to be a mixed bag for the film industry, and with that in mind, it would be wise to not get too far ahead of expectations for this new acquisition by Netflix when there’s still a great deal of time before the release of the first project.

    The Gears of War video games are set on a planet in the midst of a societal collapse due to the arrival of the Locust, a species of creatures from the underground that have taken control of above. It is then the responsibility of the Delta Squad and their leader Marcus Fenix to lead the last hope for humanity.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Daniel Kaluuya to Voice Spider-Punk in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    Daniel Kaluuya to Voice Spider-Punk in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    The ensemble of the animated Spider-Verse is expanding even more for the upcoming sequel. It has officially been announced that Academy Award-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya will be playing Spider-Punk in 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. While many of the characters in the film are Peter Parker Variants, the Spider-Punk mantle is a Variant of a character named Hobie Brown. He joins an already stacked voice cast including Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, and Jason Schwartzman among others. The film is being directed by the trio of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.

    Not much is known about what the sequel will entail, but it is confirmed that it will follow Miles Morales (Moore) on a new multiverse-traversing mission with a new team of Spider-people. These include reuniting with Spider-Gwen (Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Johnson) while meeting the likes of Jessica Drew’s Spider-Woman (Rae), Spider-Man 2099 (Isaac), and now Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk. It has also been confirmed that Spot, played by Jason Schwartzman, will be the main antagonist of the project.

    Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk, a homeless teenager who fights to represent the oppressed citizens of New York City in his universe, was created by writer Dan Slott in 2014. Having an actor with the stature of Daniel Kaluuya voicing the role seems to indicate a major role for Spider-Punk in this upcoming sequel. Kaluuya is best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in Judas and the Black Messiah alongside his lead roles in both of Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Nope.

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is scheduled to release theatrically on June 2, 2023.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter