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  • How the MCU’s ‘She-Hulk’ Became Truly Savage

    How the MCU’s ‘She-Hulk’ Became Truly Savage

    The finale of Season 1 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law opened with a great callback to the classic Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno series, The Incredible Hulk, that ran on network television in the late 1970s and early 1980s and spawned not one, not two but three made-for-tv movies in the late 1980s. The callback, which served as the recap of the series so far, ended with what’s become the norm for the series, a new, weekly title: The Savage She-Hulk. That title is, of course, the title of the first appearance of Jen Walters in Marvel Comics, The Savage She-Hulk #1, which hit newsstands in 1980. Ironically, through the course of the D+ series, Jen’s She-Hulk has been anything but savage for most of the time; however, the same can’t necessarily be said for the series itself.

    Language is an ever-evolving thing and, over the last decade or so, one word that has experienced some changes in its usage is “savage.” The way the kids are using it these days (these days being like 5-10 years ago), it means someone who has zero regard for the consequences of what they say when they rip into a person or a group of people. It’s in this way that Jessica Gao and the rest of the writers’ room on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law made the series one of the most self-aware and savage social commentaries in modern pop culture history.

    As the finale pointed out, Marvel Studios has an internet problem. No matter what project they churn out it wasn’t long enough, didn’t have enough cameos or didn’t include THAT character or THAT story that some fan was certain was going to be there. However, some projects have a bigger internet problem than others: the ones featuring female leads. From Captain Marvel to Ms. Marvel to Thor: Love and Thunder and now She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, female-led projects at Marvel Studios are described as “problematic” and “sloppy” before general audiences have seen a second of footage. And as Marvel Studios enters its second saga of stories and begins to introduce legacy characters, many of whom are female, the internet has come out swinging with chants of “Mary Sue” and “Thor is a name, not a title” as characters like Kamala Khan, Jen Walters and Jane Foster assume heroic mantles.

    It is in addressing these internet problems head-on that She-Hulk became truly, in the modern context, savage. The savagery really began in earnest in Episode 3, “The People vs. Emil Blonsky”, when Jen’s work at GLK&H began to garner more attention. In a brief sequence, the show called out anonymous and misogynistic social media influencers and YouTubers by making a mockery of their go-to commentary. “They took the Hulk’s manhood away, but then they gave it to a woman?” “So we gotta have affirmative action with superheroes?” “No more female superheroes plz.” “Why are you turning every superhero into a girl? Nobody asked for that.” “Why everything gotta be female now???” “So we have a #MeToo movement and now all the male heroes are gone?” Ridiculous only in their accuracy, these comments could have been (and most likely were) taken from real social media account from men decrying that “every hero” is now a female. Forget the fact that Thor: Love and Thunder featured both a man and a woman co-starring as Thor (and the female died), facts have no place in this dojo.

    To add an extra layer of verisimilitude to its social commentary on social media, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law brought the dudebro online community known as The Intelligencia to the forefront. While initial theories about who might run the group understandably centered on characters from the comics associated with the group, it turned out to be a collective of manbabies united by one thing: their insecurities. The creatives laid the satire on thick and in layers going so far as having Jon Bass‘ HulkKing scream “come at me bro” shortly after turning into Chris Kattan-Hulk.

    Between satirizing the ridiculous nature of online discourse around these projects and having Jen be the first MCU character to really explore dating and sex (she even smashes Matt Murdock on occasion), the Gao and the writers certainly had the very same people they were mocking clutching their pearls. And they did so by simply capitalizing on the very nature of the character pulled straight from the comics where she was Marvel’s first character to be aware that she existed inside of a story and interacted with the world that existed outside her story. So while Jen’s She-Hulk proved she was anything but the savage version her cousin Bruce thought she might be, Marvel Studios went full frontal savage and, in doing so, made their most socially relevant project to date.

  • ‘House of the Dragon’-Episode 8 Recap

    ‘House of the Dragon’-Episode 8 Recap

    Throughout the first season of HBO Max’s House of the Dragon, Viserys has been the buffer between the two factions of his house, headed by Alicent and Rhaenyra, respectively. Each of them knows that they can’t make any moves while Viserys still rules. While Alicent and Otto have been tiptoeing about up until Episode 8, Viserys had grown very weak and has given the keys to both of them to run his kingdom. About 6 years of time have passed between Episode 7 and this one. Time to get into some lore.

    Viserys

    This is the dying King’s finest hour. Viserys talked with Daemon in an earlier episode about how he felt he’d never been tested as a king, and how he wished he could prove his mettle. He did that in this episode, rising to the occasion to save his daughter and grandsons from losing Luke’s inheritance and legitimacy. His walk up to the throne is a top 5 scene from the Game of Thrones franchise, taking all of his effort, and only accepting help from Daemon in his climb. According to the director, the crown falling from his head and Daemon placing it back onto Viserys was unscripted, and it made the moment all the more powerful.

    The events of that scene were forced by Vaemond Velaryon, Corlys’s brother, trying to go around Viserys and Rhaenyra, straight to Otto and Alicent to secure his claim, reasoning that Luke is not a true Velaryon and has no right to Driftmark. Vaemond got taken out at the knees when Rhaenys, the matriarch of the Velaryons, put her chips in with Rhaenyra, agreeing in front of the court to marry Jace and Luke to her granddaughters, Baela and Rhaena. This sent Vaemond into a rage to call out that the boys are bastards and their mother is a whore. Viserys warned that anyone who questioned Jace’s and Luke’s parentage would get their tongues ripped out; however, Daemon took matters into his own hands, slicing half of his head off with Dark Sister, but he let him keep his tongue.

    With his family all under one roof for the first time in 6 years, Viserys hosted a dinner with all of them, where there were toasts all around and everyone was playing nice, with Alicent even telling Rhaenyra that she will make a fine queen. That seemed to indicate that the matter of succession was over. Yeah, in Viserys’s dreams. I am happy that in Viserys’s last moments before he was carted off, there was a small smile seeing his family happy all together. Even for all of his faults, he deserved a better family than the vultures he had. His last, muttered words were “My love,” pretty obviously in memory of his first wife, Aemma.

    It’s shown very explicitly that both Rhaenyra and Alicent have some differing parental styles. Rhaenyra is supportive in Jace’s learning of High Valyrian, and there has been no signs of mental or physical abuse towards her sons. Also, we got our first sighting of Aegon the Younger and Viserys, which are Daemon’s and Rhaenyra’s sons. There’s no denying that they are Targaryens with that platinum hair, and it’s great that Viserys got to see them before he died.

    The Children

    Speaking of Viserys’ terrible family, Alicent was shown to be abusive to Aegon, and this episode showed that it had been well deserved since he sexually assaulted one of the handmaidens and dismissed it as “Just a bit of fun.” But what did Alicent do? She covered it up, paying the girl and giving her moon tea to eliminate any chances of an unwanted pregnancy. She followed up by then slapping Aegon in the face and saying he’s no son of hers. Problem solved, put a band-aid on it!

    I noted that Alicent finally ceded to Rhaenyra and admitted to her being the next queen, but the seeds had already been sowed in Aegon and Aemond’s minds that they were above Jace and Luke, and deserved the inheritance. Aegon repeatedly asked Jace’s bethrothed, Baela, if she wanted to sleep with him right in front of everyone. Even after that, Jace raised a toast to Aegon and Aemond, hoping they could become friends as they once were. Aemond had a pig placed in front of him, a reference to when Aegon, Jace and Luke dressed up a pig as a dragon for Aemond. This really really pissed him off when Luke is seen to be laughing at him, so in retaliation he raises a toast, calling Jace Luke and Joffrey “Handsome, smart, brave….. and STRONG.” This sent the Blacks into a fury, only stopping when Daemon stood between Aemond and Jace and stared him down, sending him away with his tail between his legs. Aemond is trying so hard to be Daemon, but as of now, there is only one Daemon. There’s a showdown coming for those two in future seasons. Alicent and Rhaenyra have a touching moment after, where Alicent wants Rhaenyra to stay in King’s Landing. They’ve finally put their differences aside and want to be close again. If only.

    The Power of Prophecy

    Throughout all of this series, people have been driven by prophecy. The all-encompassing prophecy is The Song of Ice and Fire, which includes The Prince that was Promised as the messiah figure. If you watched Game of Thrones or read the series, you know there have been many, many people who believe that they were the chosen one, and each time war has broken out. Rhaegar’s belief that he or his children were the Prince, led to Robert’s Rebellion and the destruction of the Targaryens. Stannis’s belief that he was the Prince, led to the War of the Five Kings, and the destruction of the Baratheons. And finally, both Jon and Daenerys were led to believe they were the ones, and while they destroyed the White Walkers, it also led to thousands of people’s deaths. The question is always asked, is the prophecy always meant to come true, or is it the people’s actions after learning of it?

    House of the Dragon continues, or sets (?), this tread with Viserys unknowingly having fed this information to Alicent while delirious and moments from dying. He talked of Aegon the Conqueror’s dream and that this prophecy will save the kingdom, which Alicent took to mean that her son Aegon would be the one to save the realm. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back as Alicent believed she had no choice but to stand against Rhaenyra, fulfilling Viserys’s last wishes. The Westerosi version of telephone where it sent hundreds of thousands to their deaths.

    Things to Come

    With Viserys dead, there is now nothing to stand between the Greens and Blacks, and both of them feel they have the right to rule. Episode 9, if my predictions are correct, will send both sides into a full-scale war. While Aegon is the elder, Aemond will be the martial leader of the Greens, versus Daemon on the Blacks.

    A very small part of this episode showed that there are twin Kingsguards, Arryk and Erryk Cargyle. Their parents are absolute trolls naming them. This will come into play if the series follows the book, because one of these twins will be with Rhaenyra on Dragonstone, and the other with Alicent in King’s Landing.

    We also saw Mysaria again, who has contacts in the Red Keep that are keeping tabs on the royal family for her. She keeps popping up for small appearances, so she still has a part to play in the Dance.

    Also returning are more Helaena Dragon Dreams! During dinner, she muttered to herself, “Beware the beast below the boards.” As with most of her other dreams in this season, this was meant to be taken literally. If you watched Game of Thrones, you know that there are tunnels underneath the Red Keep where people can travel in secret throughout the castle. Tyrion, with help from Varys, used these to sneak into his father Tywin’s chambers to kill him. In that time, it was basically only Varys that knew these passageways, because the knowledge had been lost in time. In House of the Dragon, there are many people who know these tunnels, because they use men instead of cats as rat catchers. They’re not doing a very good job it seems, as there are rats seen throughout a lot of different episodes. What are they hinting toward? Wait and see.

  • ‘Percy Jackson’ Disney+ Series Adds to Impressive Cast

    ‘Percy Jackson’ Disney+ Series Adds to Impressive Cast

    The cast of the live-action Disney Plus adaptation of the Percy Jackson novels has grown once again. Adam Copeland, Suzanne Cryer, and Jessica Parker Kennedy have all been announced as guest stars to the already impressive cast. They join Walker Scobell, in the titular role, alongside Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries as Grover and Annabeth, respectively.

    Copeland, best known for his work as Edge in the WWE, will be playing Ares, the Greek god of war. He is described as being a handsomely arrogant god that loves to be an agent of chaos. Suzanne Cryer, likely best known for her leading role in Silicon Valley, will guest star as Echidna, the Mother of Monsters. She is described as a maternal, yet dangerous figure that will serve as a major challenge to the protagonists, both physically and spiritually. Jessica Parker Kennedy, likely best known for her supporting role on CW’s The Flash, will be portraying the infamous Medusa. She is described as an embittered wild card that the core characters are unsure if they can trust.

    Percy Jackson and the Olympians tells the story of a 12-year-old with ADHD and dyslexia who must come to terms with being the son of Poseidon and adapting to his new home at Camp Half-Blood. The first season will adapt the first novel of the Rick Riordan series,The Lightning Thief, in which Percy must clear his name and solve the mystery of who stole Zeus’ master lightning bolt.

    Source: Variety

  • Pierce Brosnan on How Doctor Strange and a Fantastic Script Led Him to a Role in ‘Black Adam’

    Pierce Brosnan on How Doctor Strange and a Fantastic Script Led Him to a Role in ‘Black Adam’

    69-year-old Pierce Brosnan is already a legend. But as if having four Bond films under his belt, including 1995’s GoldenEye, and a memorable role in Mrs. Doubtfire and 94 episodes of Remington Steele weren’t enough to cement the Irish actor’s legacy, he can now check “superhero” off his list. Brosnan’s latest endeavor finds him starring alongside Dwayne Johnson and Aldis Hodge in DC’s Black Adam where he plays Kent Nelson, aka Doctor Fate. As Brosnan enters into his fifth decade as an actor, he remains busy despite having five children and three grandchildren. As it turns out, he might have his children to thank for his latest role.

    In an interview at Black Adam’s World Premiere, Brosnan explained how his son’s fascination with another comic book doctor, Doctor Strange, among other things, inspired him to take on the role of Kent Nelson in Black Adam.

    I loved Doctor Strange and my sons, who are comic book aficionados, would say, “Dad, Doctor Strange.” Well we all know who Doctor Strange his and he is epically brilliant. Benedict…But then you have the bookend to that and it’s Doctor Fate. And Doctor Fate is much-loved, one of the senior members of the sorcerer’s world. Jaume Collet-Serra is the director. Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam. The cast. The text. The script works on many different levels. I think it covers them in a very subtle way and sometimes on the nose culturally…politically…socially. And, more importantly, in a grandiose, epic, entertaining way.

    Pierce Brosnan

    DC comic fans will know that Nelson is just one of several characters to take on the mantle of Doctor Fate but is considered to be the most powerful to have ever donned the Helmet of Fate. While the character has previously appeared in DC-related media, it’s likely that Brosnan’s version will be the one that enters into the collective consciousness of pop culture. Whether or not that means he’ll return in the role again, or if another character from the comics assumes the mantle, remains to be seen. Either way, it’s another checkmark on the legendary Brosnan’s list of achievements.

  • ‘Fargo’ Season Five Fills Out Ensemble Cast

    ‘Fargo’ Season Five Fills Out Ensemble Cast

    The fifth season of Fargo is ready to go and the principal members of the ensemble cast seem to be on board. FX has added David Rhysdal, Sam Spurell, Jessica Pohly, and Nick Gomez to the cast of the ongoing series. Rhysdal is set to play Wayne Lyon, Spurrell will portray Ole Munch, Pohly will play Agent Meyer, and Gomez is playing Agent Gomez. Beyond the official character names, not much has been revealed about the nature of these new castings.

    The newest season in the Fargo universe will be set in 2019 in the upper Midwest of the United States, the standard and familiar setting from previous installments. The main premise is built around the question of “when is a kidnapping not a kidnapping, and what if your wife isn’t yours?”

    Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, and Jennifer Jason Leigh are set to lead Season 5 as Roy, Dot, and Lorraine, respectively. Other notable supporting cast members for the season include Joe Keery, Lamorne Morris, and Richa Moorjani.

    Fargo has been a massive success in the television landscape since its debut in 2014. Following the release of the classic Coen Brothers’ film of the same name in 1996, Noah Hawley and his production team have overseen all of the previous four seasons and are currently working on the fifth. This project will look to be a bit of a bounceback for the franchise after the slightly less positive reception to the Chris Rock-led fourth season from 2020 (which still isn’t considered to be a “flop” in many senses).

    Source: Deadline

  • Dany Garcia on Easter Eggs and THAT End Credit Scene in ‘Black Adam’

    Dany Garcia on Easter Eggs and THAT End Credit Scene in ‘Black Adam’

    Black Adam stands to serve both as an introduction to a new cast of DC characters and as a bridge to the pieces of the existing DC Universe that Warner Bros. intends to keep on the board as they move forward. Dwayne Johnson’s Teth-Adam is innately connected to Zachary Levi’s Shazam, but the new film won’t feature Shazam. Rather, it features a modern-day version of the Justice Society of America lead by Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman and Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate, characters who might well find themselves, or other versions of themselves, returning down the road. Meanwhile, Johnson has all but confirmed the return of Henry Cavill as Superman and he might not be the only character from another project who shows up.

    If it seems like a lot for one project, it is, but early word is that the film handles it wonderfully, working to respect what’s been done before while also setting up a different future than many might have imagined. In an interview at Black Adam’s premiere, Dany Garcia, who co-founded Seven Bucks Productions with Johnson, gave some insight into how they pulled it off and what fans might expect.

    I think they’re going to see all of the nods. They’re going to see the respect that we have for the character. They’re gonna find the easter eggs, and they’re gonna see an end credit that speaks to the past but acknowledges what’s to come.

    Dany Garcia

    As the greater DC Universe continues to face uncertainty in the wake of project cancellations, shifts in leadership and issues with some of their talent, it seems that Black Adam will be more than capable of holding down the fort now and in the future.

  • ‘Fatal Attraction’ Series Adds to Ensemble Cast

    ‘Fatal Attraction’ Series Adds to Ensemble Cast

    The upcoming series reviving the Fatal Attraction brand continues to round out its growing cast. The upcoming Paramount+ series has cast David Meunier and Dee Wallace in ensemble roles. Meunier is set to play Richard Macksey, a psychology professor with personal ties to characters in the series. Meanwhile, Wallace will portray Emma Rauch, a retired professional with a charming personality to those around her, sans main character Alex (played by Lizzie Caplan).

    The rest of the main cast includes the likes of Joshua Jackson, Amanda Peet, Alyssa Jirrels, Wanda De Jesus, Walter Perez, Toby Huss, Reno Wilson, and Brian Goodman. Alexandra Cunningham is serving as showrunner after having written the series from a story co-written with Kevin J. Hynes.

    Fatal Attraction is said to be a psychosexual thriller akin to the classic 1987 film and explore the themes of marriage and infidelity from a modern lens with different societal sensibilities. The series is a remake and reimagining of the film and not a continuation of the original Michael Douglas and Glenn Close-led project. For the series, the roles of Dan Gallagher and Alex Forrest will be played by Joshua Jackson and Lizzie Caplan respectively.

    Filming for the series began during the summer of 2022. With that in mind, audiences should look to expect Fatal Attraction on Paramount+ to premiere at some point in 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Black Adam’ Writers on Bringing Lesser-Known DC Characters to the Big Screen

    ‘Black Adam’ Writers on Bringing Lesser-Known DC Characters to the Big Screen

    After being attached to the role for over a decade, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is finally set to debut as Black Adam in the character’s solo film later this month. The film will serve as an introduction to lesser-known characters like Doctor Fate, Cyclone, Atom Smasher and Hawkman. For the film’s writers, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, it didn’t matter whether or not these characters were well known – they simply wanted to introduce “great” characters on screen.

    While walking the film’s red carpet on Wednesday, Haines explained that introducing these characters was a collaborative effort. As he explains, it isn’t only about their screenplay, but it also comes down to the studio and the director sharing their vision for these characters.

    We think about these characters as, “Hey, here’s some great characters that hopefully an audience will enjoy. And of course we’re working with the studio and with Jaume, the director, and, of course, DJ, who is also super entrenched in this material, so really it’s a collaborative effort.

    Rory Haines

    While Haines noted the collaborative effort it took to really create these characters on screen, Noshirvani noted that the duo wasn’t really concerned with using well-known characters. Instead, it was all about taking characters they felt were generally great characters as they felt the audience would connect with them more.

    At the end of it, we’re not worried about how well-known they are, we just want to make sure they’re great characters first. Cause if they’re great characters, the fans will connect with them.

    Sohrab Noshirvani

    Black Adam is set to hit theaters on Oct. 21st. It is currently on track to earn between $70 million and $75 million.

  • ‘Black Adam’ Scribe Teases Potential Future Spinoffs

    ‘Black Adam’ Scribe Teases Potential Future Spinoffs

    After fifteen years of development, Dwayne Johnson’s superpowered passion project, Black Adam, is set to hit theaters. Set to introduce not only Johnson’s Teth-Adam but also four members of a modern-day incarnation of the Justice Society of America (Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone) and featuring the return of a couple of characters from previous DC projects, the film is laying the groundwork for a wide-range of opportunities to tell stories in the future. In an interview at the film’s premiere, writer Rory Haines was asked if fans should expect to see any additional projects spinning out of Black Adam.

    Hopefully so. DJ’s been working on this for 10 years. Obviously it’s well know…he’s not just an actor, he’s a producer, he’s a visionary himself. He has a lot of vision for this and I think fans are going to really love where he wants to go.

    Rory Haines

    Even though the film’s main plot seems set in the present, the very fact that the JSA shown in the film has a pair of legacy members opens up the potential for a JSA-centric project to be told in the past, present of future of the DC Universe. It’s also possible that solo projects for Hawkman or Doctor Fate could be on the horizon if the characters are well received. Of course, there’s great potential for a Black Adam sequel, perhaps featuring Superman or Shazam. Whatever the case, it remains clear that Johnson’s passion for the character, which was the driving force in seeing Black Adam made through all the changes over the years at WB, will shape what comes next for these characters.

  • Jake Choi Joins ‘Vacation Friends’ Sequel at Hulu

    Jake Choi Joins ‘Vacation Friends’ Sequel at Hulu

    After scoring Hulu’s biggest opening weekend for an original title back last year, Hulu is moving ahead with a sequel to Vacation Friends titled Honeymoon Friends. The film starred Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, John Cena and Meredith Hagner as two couples who meet while on vacation in Mexico, only to have their lives take a surprising turn after returning home. While details regarding the sequel are sparse, Deadline has confirmed that Jake Choi (Single Parents) has joined the sequel’s cast.

    Choi is said to be playing a hotel group exec named Yon. The character is described as being dour and confident and is said to talk a big game and make it a point to cut down Marcus (Howery) from the moment they meet. The duo eventually form a bond and become friends, but not without plenty of chaos along the way.

    Choi is perhaps best known for his role on ABC’s Single Parents where he starred as Miggy. Prior to that, he starred in Ry Russo-Young’s adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s young adult novel The Sun Is Also a Star. He recently wrapped production on World’s Best for Disney and is set to appear in Please Baby Please.

    Clay Tarver, who directed Vacation Friends, returns to direct Honeymoon Friends from a screenplay by Tom Mullen, Tim Mullen, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.

    Source: Deadline.