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  • Marvel Studios Wanted to Adapt Namor for 18 Years

    Marvel Studios Wanted to Adapt Namor for 18 Years

    Namor is finally making his Marel Cinematic Universe in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While the character is known as one of the first ever introduced into the Marvel canon, it still took Marvel Studios some time to finally get the right project together that would introduce the character to the world. As it turns out, Marvel had the character on their list for almost 18 years and was hoping to get the character to live-action even in the days before the current MCU was formed.

    Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige doesn’t go into details during the red carpet event for Wakanda Forever but does highlight that they’ve been trying to find the right idea to bring the character to life. Luckily, it seems that Ryan Coogler already pitched the idea of a war between kingdoms during the first Black Panther film and went on to develop the more culturally distinct take on the character for this sequel.

    Forever it’s been on our list. I remember 18 years ago putting together a list, I think we even commissioned a script 18 years ago. And the timing was never right and the idea was never right. Ryan Coogler on the first movie started pitching wars between kingdoms. And if you actually added a cultural specificity to Namor, and that’s certainly what he has done in this movie. It’s not Atlantis, it’s Talokan.

    Kevin Feige

    It definitely seems like the wait was well worth it, as it both only did it lead to a very distinct take on the character but a powerful performance by Tenoch Huerta going by early reactions. We still have to wait a little longer for the film’s release but it’s definitely going to be quite the experience once it hits theaters on November 11th and who knows what the future has in store for the character moving forward.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Star Teases How They Shot Underwater

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Star Teases How They Shot Underwater

    Expectations are high on what Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will deliver. The first reactions from the film’s premiere are definitely quite positive; especially with the film’s emotional arc but they also tease the excitement for the newcomer, Namor the Submariner. Tenoch Huerta takes on the role of a leader of a long-sunken Mayan civilization.

    With the film taking place under water, there’s no surprise that a big part of it will also feature its stars floating about but it was unclear if they’d actually film underwater or mostly rely on CG. According to actor Alex Livinalli, who plays Attuma in the film, they filmed quite a bit underwater and it seems like they had a lot o fun with the challenge.

    We had the training underwater. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard, it was a lot of hard work but it was so exciting. Everything that we shot underwater was on one breath; meaning that everyone–the whole crew, the actors–were at the surface, then everyone took a breath, we went down and shot for as long as [until] the first person came up, then we all came up. In what other project would you get to do something like that?

    Alex Livinalli

    It definitely sounds like it was a challenge to film as much as you could with everyone holding their breath for as long as possible. There is a fun irony in the mention of “what other project would you get to do something” like Wakanda Forever with Avatar: The Way of the Water on the horizon, but it’s great to see the technology being used to full effect this year.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ is Nielsen’s Biggest Recorded Opening Weekend for a Movie

    ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ is Nielsen’s Biggest Recorded Opening Weekend for a Movie

    It looks like the Sanderson sisters put a hex on Disney+, as the Nielsen ratings have revealed that Hocus Pocus 2 has become Nielsen’s biggest-ever recorded opening. The film was watched a whopping 2.7 billion minutes after its September 30th premiere on the Disney-owned streaming platform. Not only is it quite a testament to the cult status of this film, but it also reveals that people were just waiting for a fun Halloween special. It does make you wonder if this is another proof of the power of legacy sequels in the modern market, or perhaps the urge for something different on the platform.

    That isn’t the only record that was broken from the week of September 26th to October 2nd. Ryan Murphy‘s Jeffrey Dahmer series, Monster, once again took the top spot in the Nielsen Top 10 ratings with 4.4 billion minutes viewed. Not only is it a massive success for Netflix; even with the controversies surrounding the project, but it managed to break the previous record and is now the seventh most-streamed program within a single week.

    It looks like it was a great week for the streaming market. Some have been pushing ongoing online wars on what “series is winning” the various weeks; most notably with the House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings debates, as well as people trying to prove personal beliefs on if She-Hulk: Attorney at Law‘s a success. Yet, direct comparisons between streaming services with unique viewership demographics and various KPI basis makes any direct comparisons nothing more than personal discussions rather than

    Source: Variety

  • James Patterson’s ‘Alex Cross’ Series Adds ‘Black Adam’ Star

    James Patterson’s ‘Alex Cross’ Series Adds ‘Black Adam’ Star

    Black Adam‘s Hawkman is set to return. Well, at least Aldis Hodge is, as he has already nabbed his next high-profile project in the adaptation of James Patterson‘s Alex Cross. Amazon Prime Video has ordered the adaptation to the series with Hodge attached as its main lead. It’ll be titled Cross and has seemingly been in the works since January 2020. Amazon’s Head of Global Television, Vernon Sanders, shared his excitement about the series.

    James Patterson is among the best at captivating audiences with his undeniably enthralling novels and we are confident that with Ben Watkins’ artistic vision, Cross will do the same for our global customers. We are proud to work with James and Ben alongside Paramount Television, Skydance, and the extremely talented Aldis Hodge, who we know will do an exceptional job of bringing Alex Cross to life.

    Vernon Sanders

    Ben Watkins is attached to write and executive produce the series as its showrunner. Hodge is not only taking on the leading role but is also set to act as a producer. Patterson joins as executive producer alongside Sam Ernst, Jim Dunn, and Craig Siebels. Skydance Television is set to produce with Paramount Television Studios and James Patterson Entertainment attached.

    In Variety’s announcement, they teased that the series’ take on Cross hints at him being “brilliant, flawed, and full of contradictions. A doting father and family man, Cross is single-minded to the point of obsession when he hunts killers. He is desperate for love, but his wife’s murder has left him too damaged to receive it.”

    It’s great to see the actor nab a big project after one of fall’s biggest releases. There’s still no word if we can expect a Black Adam sequel starring Hodge in the near future, or if Hawkman might get his own spinoff at some point, but the actor will certainly be quite busy moving forward.

    Source: Variety

  • Peacock’s ‘Girls5eva’ Returns for Season 3 on Netflix

    Peacock’s ‘Girls5eva’ Returns for Season 3 on Netflix

    It looks like Peacock’s series Girls5eva is getting a new home, as it was announced that its third season is now heading to Netflix. It seems the third season will only be available on the streamer while the previous two entries remain on Peacock but also join Netflix for those that haven’t had a chance to check out the series.

    It’s a surprisingly bittersweet addition, as this marks a reunion for creator Meredith Scardino alongside producers Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and Jeff Richmond. Fey and Carlock famously worked on the Netflix smash hit Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, where Scardino worked as a writer. Richmond also served as a composer in addition. They had the following to say in a joint statement:

    Our deepest thanks to Peacock for bringing ‘Girls5eva’ to life and supporting us creatively at every turn since the first pitch. And we are endlessly grateful to our partners at NBCU for their boundless commitment. Today, we are thrilled to announce that our reunited girl group will be re-reunited at Netflix. We are so thankful to everyone at the streamer who fell in love with our music-filled comedy. We cannot wait to introduce Dawn, Wickie, Summer, and Gloria to the global Netflix audience. Well, not fully introduce, if you look closely, ‘Girls5eva’ can be seen in the background of the Woodstock ’99 documentary setting a porta potty on fire

    Girls5eva is the story of a one-hit-wonder girls’ group that reunites since their success from the 1990s faded. It’s not a new concept but certainly, one that offers some fun ideas to play around with for everyone involved. It’ll be interesting to see if the show will go through some changes when it starts production for its new home.

    Source: Variety

  • Tenoch Huerta on Whether or Not Namor is the Villain of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    Tenoch Huerta on Whether or Not Namor is the Villain of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever having its World Premiere last night, the world now waits in anticipation for its turn to see the Marvel Studios sequel. One of the major standouts from the early reactions has been Tenoch Huerta, who portrays film’s main antagonist: Namor the Sub-Mariner. While talking with Variety during the premiere’s red carpet, this is what Huerta, disagreed with the notion that he’s the villain of the film.

    This is a guy who protects his people, his culture, every meaningful thing in his kingdom. From my perspective, everyone around the world can identify with this. So I don’t know if he’s a “villain” or is just a guy trying whatever the cost is to protect.

    Tenoch Huerta

    The concept of relatability has been a generally consistent factor with some of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe villains, and it certainly is an exciting notion to hear about this trait with Namor. One of the most compelling elements of Namor and the whole of Talokan in Wakanda Forever is the heavy influence of Mayan culture on their civilization. It provides Ryan Coogler with the opportunity to world-build another historically-based culture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe made up of generally underrepresented peoples in the film industry. This is a concept that Huerta has definitely appreciated when it comes to this film.

    It’s important for the people to see themselves in the movies in this way. It was made with a lot of respect for the Mesoamerican culture, especially Mayan culture. It’s the root of almost everybody Latin American. We have indigineous roots, we have black roots, and a few white roots. But it’s fantastic to be here and represent this kind of movie.

    Tenoch Huerta

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens exclusively in theaters on November 11. You can take a look at a collection of first impressions of the film here. 

  • INTERVIEW: Michaela Jill Murphy Talks ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and More

    INTERVIEW: Michaela Jill Murphy Talks ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and More

    We had the chance to sit down with Toph voice actress, Michaela Jill Murphy, to talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender and the app, Hyype Space, where she posts challenges for fans to partake in. Along with discussing the challenge-based social media platform, Murphy also discussed her time voicing Toph and her feature endeavors.

    If you haven’t already, be sure to give Hyype Space a chance. The most recent challenge from Murphy had fans re-creating their favorite bending scene. The winner, determined by the most claps, ended up winning $300 cash, a signed Book 2 poster, a handpicked personalized rock from the Blind Bandit, and a personalized Metalbending Academy comic or a Toph Funko pop. While the second-place winner took home $200 cash and a personalized Rock and comic and the third-place winner took home $100 cash and a personalized rock. Hyype Space is available through the App Store and Google Play now.

  • Bob Chapek Teases More Adult-Oriented Content for Disney

    Bob Chapek Teases More Adult-Oriented Content for Disney

    As Disney further continues into the era of Bob Chapek serving as their CEO, more changes to the creative structure of the company appear to be on the way. It looks like one change that the head of Disney would like to see further discussed is for the company to broaden its programming into more adult-oriented content. Chapek went on record on the topic in relation to the company’s history of leaning more toward family-friendly content while talking with The Wall Street Journal.

    I want to respect what this brand is. But at the same time, I know that we may be even more precious about what is ‘Disney’ than the consumer base is. If the consumer base has more elasticity, we probably ought to listen to our audience, which means we have more degrees of freedom than we probably thought.

    Bob Chapek

    This new direction from Chapek flies in the face of the old mentality of Bob Iger, his immediate predecessor. Ultimately, a shift to including more mature content would be a relatively rare concept in the history of Disney as a company. In terms of whether this will be an effective creative business strategy, it will of course come down to the quality of the projects themselves. The concept of making R or TV-MA-rated content has often been a false equivalence to “high quality” to some fans. For instance, a project like Andor has successfully been covering many serious themes in a mature way without pushing the needle toward a more explicit rating.

    It will be interesting to follow if this loose edict will have any effect on future Marvel Studios projects. As of now, the only true “adult-oriented” content on the way from them includes Deadpool 3’s theatrical release in 2024 and the Marvel Zombies animated series heading to Disney+.

    Source: Wall Street Journal

  • ‘Black Adam’ to Top Box Office for Second Weekend

    ‘Black Adam’ to Top Box Office for Second Weekend

    With a quiet Halloween weekend ahead, Black Adam looks set to top the box office for a second weekend. Only one other film will be released wide this weekend as Lionsgate is set to release Prey for the Devil, giving the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson film room to dominate at the box office.

    The movie opened to an okay $67 million last weekend. In its second weekend, the film is expected to earn another $28 million to $31 million, which will help it to surpass $100 million at the domestic box office. Should those numbers hold, that would put its decline in line with Shazam!‘s. While Prey for the Devil is projected to debut to $7 million or $8 million. The movie is set to play in 2,900 North American locations over the weekend. With the exception of Halloween Ends, horror films have been overperforming at the box office. Depending on word of mouth, it is possible Prey for the Devil overperforms – much like Barbarian and Smile.

    Of course, Prey for the Devil will also need to beat out the Julia Roberts and George Clooney-led Ticket for Paradise. As of now, that movie is projected to take in another $8 million to $9 million over the weekend.

    Source: Variety.

  • Feige on Gunn Joining DC Studios

    Feige on Gunn Joining DC Studios

    On Wednesday, Marvel Studios held the world premiere of the hotly anticipated Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakana Forever. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was on hand to celebrate the film and walk the purple carpet. Unsurprisingly, Feige was asked about Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn‘s new position at DC Studios. Feige, of course, was incredibly supportive of Gunn and his future endeavors for DC Studios.

    “I speak to James almost every day. We have a wonderful thing called the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special coming out. We have a wonderful thing called Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 coming out in May. How he’ll have any time to work on DC until May I don’t know, but once he does have the time I’ll be very excited. I’ll be first in line.”

    Feige

    Gunn’s new job at DC Studios begins on Nov. 1st, however, while he’ll be exclusively working for DC and Warner Bros. Discovery for the next four years, he still has a ton of work ahead of him for Marvel Studios. Next month, the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be released, and next summer, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will finally hit theaters. Gunn will still be making the promotional rounds for Marvel Studios while helping to headline DC Studios.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will hit Disney+ on Nov. 25th.

    Source: Deadline.