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  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘Blade’ Recruits ‘X-Men ’97’ and ‘Moon Knight’ Scribe Beau DeMayo

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘Blade’ Recruits ‘X-Men ’97’ and ‘Moon Knight’ Scribe Beau DeMayo

    Beau DeMayo is becoming a go-to-guy for Marvel Studios. Part of the writer’s room for Moon Knight and the head writer and executive producer of X-Men ’97, the revival of the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series, it looks like DeMayo may have joined the crew of one of Marvel Studios’ most anticipated feature films, Blade.

    While Disney has not commented officially on it, DeMayo has taken up temporary residence in Atlanta where Blade is in pre-production. In a recent Instagram post first pointed out by a Murphy’s Multiverse Discord patron, DeMayo showed off the Atlanta skyline from what he called his “new office.” While there are other Marvel projects underway, as a writer DeMayo would almost certainly not be joining one that was already deep into production. After running through the possible scenarios, Blade becomes the only logical choice. The start of principal filming has been delayed several times, recently pushed from an October kickoff to November, potentially allowing DeMayo a pass at the script.

    Stacy Osei-Kuffour was brought on as the film’s writer in February of 2021 and the studio had originally intended to begin production in late Summer of 2022 ahead of the project’s November 3, 2023 release date. Looking back at the bread crumbs, it’s likely that DeMayo has been attached to the project for a month or two now to polish up an already finished script by Osei-Kuffor rather than completely rewrite the story. Having multiple writers take a pass at movie scripts has become a fairly common practice at Marvel Studios, using the opportunity to take advantage of the strengths of different writers. Having DeMayo in Atlanta as pre-production gets underway is entirely in line with Marvel Studios’ past precedent and gives the new writer time to work intensely and closely with the film’s cast and crew to ensure the script is tight before filming begins. At this point, there’s no expectation of the film’s release date being delayed, keeping it on track for a late-2023 release.

  • REPORT: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Runtime Makes It the MCU’s Second Longest Film

    REPORT: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Runtime Makes It the MCU’s Second Longest Film

    The final film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever may be one of Marvel Studios’ longest features to date. According to new listings on the Cineplex and Regal websites, the Ryan Coogler-directed sequel will be 161 minutes (two hours and 41 minutes) long. If true, that runtime makes it the longest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe behind Avengers: Endgame, which ran over three hours.

    While still unconfirmed, a longer runtime could suggest that Wakanda Forever is taking its time to explore a larger story amidst the heavy nature of the film stemming from the passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020. According to the film’s synopsis, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje fight to protect Wakanda from intervening world powers as the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, along with War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman). Tenoch Huerta will be making his appearance in the MCU as Namor, and the sequel also features Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams, ahead of the Ironheart Disney+ series.

    While runtimes ultimately say quite little about the contents of a film, fans love to speculate. Before they were released, Eternals was deemed too long and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was deemed too short by those on social media. If Wakanda Forever does end up being the longest non-Avengers film in the MCU, it could be the result of a packed storyline, a slower-paced narrative, or both. In any event, the filmmakers likely took their time crafting the emotional follow-up to the iconic Black Panther.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11, 2022.

    Source: Cineplex and Regal

  • ‘Werewolf by Night’ Director Teases “Fun Horror” But Promises Plenty of Scares

    ‘Werewolf by Night’ Director Teases “Fun Horror” But Promises Plenty of Scares

    While a lot of eyes are on the upcoming release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the current Disney+ series She-Hulk, Attorney at Law, we also have a Halloween Disney+ special on the horizon. Werewolf by Night will offer something very new, as Marvel Studios ventures out into its new Special Presentation territory and promises a Hammer-inspired black-and-white horror spectacular.

    Early reviews have been very positive and that is quite exciting for Michael Giacchino, as this project marks his first true directorial debut. He’s seemingly been quite interested in tackling the character and was even approached by Kevin Feige on if there was a character he’d love to bring to life, which led to him tackling a character he dearly loves. In an interview with Empire, he highlights how he grew up with the character’s comics and teases how the idea evolved to become a “love letter to monsters and the humanity behind them.”

    I still have the comics that I bought when I was a kid. Kevin and I kept talking about it, and it’s evolved into this love letter to monsters and the humanity behind them.

    Michael Giacchino

    He’s also teased that this will be a “fun horror” adaptation of the popular character. He does highlight that this is still a horror story and jokingly reveals that his nephew couldn’t sleep the night he was able to watch it. So, it seems we’ll get that MCU story that can take a bigger bite out of the R-rated territory; something we’ve seen growing ever since Moon Knight offered us a small tease of what they might do.

    Source: Empire

  • Marvel Studios President Opens Up on Not Recasting the MCU’s T’Challa

    Marvel Studios President Opens Up on Not Recasting the MCU’s T’Challa

    The death of Chadwick Boseman was a heavy one; for many it was unexpected. Not only was it a tragic loss of amazing talent, but it also was a hardship his many friends, family, and more had to endure. His legacy lives on in many ways, such as his memorable take as T’Challa throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, it wasn’t an easy decision after his passing for Marvel Studios and director Ryan Coogler to figure out if they’d continue to tell the stories of T’Challa in Black Panther.

    While it’s uncertain still who exactly will carry over the mantle, there’s been a lot of discussions on if this was the right decision. Of course, while many want to see the stories of T’Challa continue in the MCU, there’s also the weight it puts on any actor having to take over that role and the heavy weight it would be for the cast and crew simply replacing a close friend. In an interview with Empire, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige offers some insight on why they decided to not recast.

    It just felt like it was much too soon to recast. Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan poured that into the story.

    Kevin Feige

    Of course, he highlighted that the big aspect was also them taking their decision and questioning how they continue. One thing was to keep that legacy that Chadwick Boseman left alive while tackling the sequel.

    What do we do next?’ And how could the legacy of Chadwick – and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas – continue? That’s what it was all about.

    Kevin Feige

    No matter where one stands, there was never truly going to be a “right” answer. The first trailer definitely felt like our first glimpse into the weight this project will hold. For now, we still can only theorize how exactly they handle it but November isn’t that far away anymore.

    Source: Empire

  • First ‘Black Panther’s Post-Credit Almost Included Namor

    First ‘Black Panther’s Post-Credit Almost Included Namor

    It’s no secret that the upcoming sequel of Black Panther will introduce the world to Namor the Submariner, played by Tenoch Huerta. We’ve heard news throughout the last few years that there were many times they thought of including him, such as a member of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Yet, it turns out the earliest we could’ve seen him was all the way back when the first Black Panther film hit theaters.

    In a new piece from Empire, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige reveals that they initially had plans for a post-credit sequence that would set up the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take on the character. It seems director Ryan Coogler initially pitched it as a tag, which means this sequel’s main story has been on his mind since he started work on the very first entry.

    Ryan had a pitch for a tag at the end of Black Panther. The camera would push through the palace in Wakanda, and then we’d see wet footprints leading up to the throne.

    Kevin Feige

    It definitely would’ve made for an imposing tease though open many questions on how he got past the Dora Milaje. Still, it would be the perfect way to tease the character without giving away any details, which would’ve led to casual audiences having to question who exactly the person might be. Coogler having that character in mind so early on also makes us wonder if he generally mapped out a full trilogy for the franchise and if he’ll follow through with those initial plans if he kept Namor in his back pocket up until now.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Black Panther 2’ Actor Confirms Namor’s Mutant Status

    ‘Black Panther 2’ Actor Confirms Namor’s Mutant Status

    Many have wondered with the recent build-up to the mutant’s introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe if they are sticking to the comics for some characters. We are getting teases and hints of famous mutant characters but outside of an audio cue in Ms. Marvel, there hasn’t been a confirmation. Now that changes, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s Tenoch Huerta has confirmed that he is indeed a mutant in the upcoming Black Panther sequel.

    He highlighted that this is the aspect that is carrying over from the comics, as they are taking a different approach with their version of Atlantis. It is now called Talocan and is fully inspired by Mesoamerican culture; something the initial trailers have definitely put a large focus on and made sure to highlight.

    You can take Atlantis from Greek myth, or you can adapt from a real culture.

    Tenoch Huerta

    It’s impressive how they took that cultural identity and made it work so well while also including some great comic-accurate costume elements from his early days in the comics. We’ll see just how deep they explored the Mesoamerican cultural impact on the character when the film releases in November, but so far it has been quite impressive and it’ll be exciting to see what else they might have planned for the character.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Werewolf By Night’ Director Michael Giacchino Addresses Rumors of an Appearance by Blade

    ‘Werewolf By Night’ Director Michael Giacchino Addresses Rumors of an Appearance by Blade

    There’s only one thing that fans of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe love more than the half-dozen or more projects that Marvel Studios puts out each year: rumors. The online dialogue about which characters might cameo in Marvel’s next project has grown to the point where fans often find themselves more excited about a character cameo than they are about the project’s lead character. Unfortunately, due to bogus rumors, changes during production and just plain poor theorizing, fans often find themselves frustrated when the thing they’ve imagined in their head doesn’t materialize in said project.

    One such project that seems to have been the focus of just that type of speculation for quite some time now is the upcoming Marvel Studios Halloween Special, Werewolf By Night. It seems like every character from the horror corner of Marvel Comics from Blade, to Ghost Rider to Vampire By Night, has been discussed as possibly appearing in the project all while overlooking the titular character and the rest of the crew.

    Following his voice-only cameo in Eternals, fans have been particularly eager to pin down Mahershala Ali’s next appearance as the aforementioned Daywalker and Werewolf By Night certainly became a sensible focal point of speculation for that appearance. Over the past several months, rumors first swirled that Ali’s character would indeed show up in the project; then, more recently, that due to scheduling conflicts, he would not. In an interview with One Take News, director Michael Giacchino was asked about those rumors and it turns out he’s been paying attention to the online discourse.

    You know what, rumors are insanely inaccurate I would say…99.9% of the time. The thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is everyone thinks that every single thing is going to be connected. EVERY single thing. And it doesn’t mean that we’re not connected. But, I didn’t feel the need to blatantly say we were.

    Michael Giacchino

    We’ve run the numbers and it turns out Giacchino’s percentage is actually a little on the low side of things. And while the director didn’t ACTUALLY address whether or not Blade was on track to appear, he did go on to explain that part of what drew him to developing Werewolf By Night was the the character could exist in isolation in the comics and didn’t need to be a part of every event.

    You know, every other show has done that and they’ve done it brilliantly and I thought “you know what?”, when I was a kid, I would pull a comic off the shelf and this particular Werewolf By Night issue had nothing to do with anything else in the Marvel Universe. What’s wrong with that? That’s okay! You know, they can all live together but we don’t need to always show them together. You know, let’s have a moment where we’re dealing with this. One of the shows that was a huge influence for me growing up was The Twilight Zone and what I loved about it was each one was its own thing and each story was something that you had to think about for days afterwards and I said “Let’s do that! Let’s just worry about this”. You know, in the future, who knows? We’ll see where the characters go, we’ll see where we take them but for now, let’s just worry about this one thing right here.

    Michael Giacchino

    Was Blade supposed to be in it? We don’t know. But we do know that he is not and that according to all the first reactions to the project, Giacchino seems to have made exactly the type of project he set out to: one that stands among the crowd of “Marvel formula” projects and that exists within its own little pocket of a much larger universe.

    Werewolf By Night debuts on Disney Plus on Octobrer 7th.

    Source: One Take News

  • How ‘She-Hulk”s Intelligencia Sets Up’ Captain America: 4’s True Main Threat

    How ‘She-Hulk”s Intelligencia Sets Up’ Captain America: 4’s True Main Threat

    The latest episode of She-Hulk, Attorney at Law has premiered not too long ago and introduced (or rather re-introduced) Iintelligencia into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We first learn about them through a simple mention on Ulysses Klaue’s portfolio confirming he was once a member but we never really find out who exactly they are. As it turns out, it’s pretty much the MCU’s equivalent to a Reddit server with obvious connections to modern political discourse. On top of it all, they seem to have their own operation eyeing Jennifer Walter’s blood for some nefarious purpose.

    There’s been a curious trend of She-Hulk openly calling out or rather predicting quite correctly how certain sub-groups of the Internet react to these projects. We’ve seen it time and time again since Captain Marvel’s release in 2019 and it continued to fester to this day. “Fandom Menace” has become a rather depressing word used for a subset of fans putting a lot of pressure on these projects, and it’s not too surprising to see a project reflect that as well.

    These reactions aren’t exclusive to female-led projects as showcased with the discussions surrounding Anthony Mackie‘s Sam Wilson taking on the role of Captain America. Thee entire of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier explored the weight of that shield placed upon an African-American, which has been continuously highlighted to still being denied even after we took time to explore his journey of accepting that title. Yet, there are still statements like “Steve Rogers is Captain America” being floated around each time it comes up.

    In a way, it seems safe to say that the set-up for Intelligencia in She-Hulk was made to lead to Captain America: New World Order. Any Captain America project didn’t shy away from exploring political discussions in the United States and given the current climate, Sam Wilson’s own struggle makes for the best set-up to explore the current climate left in a post-Trump and Qanon world. Hell, one could make the argument that the latter is potentially being echoed to some extent. It’s even in the title as many were concerned given its ties to conspiracy theories online from white supremacists that used those three words to spread anti-semitic topics across the web.

    The confirmed return of Tim Blake Nelson as the Samuel Sterns, who is better known as the Leader, also potentially leads to how they’re setting up his return. We don’t know how they’ll tackle his design or even return, but when we first met him back in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, the character was communicating through chat rooms. So, it seems fitting if his time is hidden away in SHIELD’s prisons he’s been using a different strategy to build his own empire. His goal is very likely still to get his hands on Hulk and he’ll use any means necessary.

    As much as commentaries on “woke” Hollywood have scattered across the web, they are politically stirred on every side and it makes sense for the new Captain America to explore that very divide. Steve Rogers had a similar challenge when it came to standing up for what is right, and we know that Wilson has been a mediator for most of his pre-heroic career. So, there’s something fitting for him to take on that very role, he’s not a super soldier but has his own strengths to stand by what he believes is right.

    Intelligencia and the white supremacist ties of NWO could be the way Marvel introduces the Serpent Society; the once joke title for Civil War. A modern twist on that group would be fitting and further pull into the backlash we see in the real world over a fictional character. You don’t look far for those kinds of discussions like with The Little Mermaid remake, which became the focus of its own online drama. And all these reactions to fictional characters are also reflections of real-world issues; something we’ve been continuously reminded of throughout the last few years.

    There likely won’t be an end to such backlash and if they further explore Intelligencia in that project, there’s likely going to be even more reactionary tales for this entry. As highlighted by She-Hulk, there’s a certain predictability to the online chatter and further exploring the dark corners of the world in a project with a lead that reflects the lived experiences creates a strong meta-commentary. It’s no longer a man from World War One stuck who is stuck in a different time. This is someone whose lived experience is very different in a modern context. As such, his threats are fittingly going to be more modern and reflect the current political climate.

  • ‘House of the Dragon’ – Best & Worst of ‘The Princess and the Queen’

    ‘House of the Dragon’ – Best & Worst of ‘The Princess and the Queen’

    House of the Dragon is back, and this time, people are older. The show traversed a full ten years in only one week’s time, replacing the incomparable Milly Alcock and Emily Carey with the equally-as-impressive Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. Despite a full decade’s worth of potential character development, it would seem not much has changed when the series’ sixth episode, The Princess and the Queen, starts ticking. Princess Rhaenyra is now the mother of three children, fathered by someone who is definitely not her husband, and nobody seems to think their lack of white hair is suspicious. Nobody, that is, except for Queen Alicent Hightower and her entourage of sketchy male cohorts. Tensions start to rise as Alicent and Rhaenyra challenge each other in King’s Landing, and secrets about the latter’s romantic history begin to resurface.

    Meanwhile, Matt Smith‘s Prince Daemon Targaryan learns that married life might not be all that he’d hoped it would be, and Paddy Considine‘s King Viserys Targaryan learns that living ten years past ones expiration date might not be as comfortable as he’d imagined. From there, in classic Game of Thrones tradition, everything starts going downhill – or, more accurately, up in flames. After all, this is the House of the Dragon. Join Murphy’s Multiverse as we dig into both the best and the worst The Princess and the Queen had to offer.

    BEST – The Birth of Joffrey Velaryon

    The Princess and the Queen opened with the first of two birthing scenes present in the episode. Viewers are introduced to an adult Rhaenyra while she’s in the midst of delivering her third child, whom her husband eventually names Joffrey Velaryon after his deceased lover. It’s a messy scenario, but it’s an incredibly effective way to demonstrate just how headstrong the Princess has become in the years since fans last saw her. Immediately after giving birth, Rhaenyra receives word that the Queen would like to see her old friend’s newest son. Knowing this is likely some sort of power move, the King’s heir decides to walk Joffrey to the Queen herself, in spite of the fact she had only just pushed out the afterbirth.

    The move is perhaps one of the single coolest things any Westerosi character has ever done. This goes without saying, but as one learns in biology class, birthing a human is not an easy task. Standing up from said task, coated in sweat and bleeding, and trucking it directly to face a personal rival is the epitome of a power move, one-upping Alicent tenfold. Not only was the sequence great for the story, but the camera work was excellent as well. The first several minutes of the episode was some of the best shot footage the franchise has seen, and one can only hope it’s a sign of what’s to come in the final few entries of the season.

    WORST – Prince Aegon II Targaryan

    Folks, there’s a new Joffrey Baratheon in town. Previously only seen as a newborn baby, Tom Glynn-Carney‘s Prince Aegon II Targaryan is shown as a full-blown young adult in The Princess and the Queen. As it turns out, he’s simply the worst. From the moment he makes his onscreen debut, he’s actively working to make the lives of much more likable characters miserable. He starts with a pig-themed dragon prank on his younger cousin, moves on to – *ahem* – revealing himself to the entire kingdom, and eventually plays fairly dirty in a sparring session with the same aforementioned family member. If the history of this franchise has taught viewers anything, it’s that this behavior will get worse before it gets better. In fact, it probably won’t get better. It will just keep getting worse and then Aegon will die or he won’t. Hopefully, and this feels weird to say about a minor, the show lands on the first option. (It won’t.)

  • ‘Werewolf by Night’ Producer Teases More Monsters in the MCU’s Future

    ‘Werewolf by Night’ Producer Teases More Monsters in the MCU’s Future

    We’re only a few weeks away from the release of Werewolf by Night, Marvel Studios’ first exploration of the horror and will pay tribute to the classic Universal monster era. It being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe opens up the possibility that we’ll see even more from that corner of the world, especially with Blade on the horizon. Luckily, The Direct got a chance in an interview executive producer Brian Gay, who teased that we’ve not seen the last of these beastly creatures.

    I think one of the very cool things about the special is it’s just peeling back the corner of monsters in the MCU, right? So there’s not just the monsters that are part of Werewolf by Night, but the ones that were up on the wall, there’s some of that artwork as well. What all this lends to is the idea that for centuries there have been monsters within the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they’ve been being tracked or hunted or kept at bay by these hunters.

    Brian Gay

    It interestingly opens up the possibility that perhaps the events of this special could unleash the beasts upon the MCU as the hunters face their biggest threat yet. Perhaps even Blade is not a vampire hunter in the traditional sense but generally acts as a monster hunter in the MCU.

    And I think, well, we don’t know exactly where they’ll pop up next, the idea is that, with this wide swath of different species and types, they’re going to pop up again. You’re going to see these guys in different ways, of course.

    Brian Gay

    It’ll be interesting to see how they further explore this part of the MCU and how it might even potentially tie into the Multiverse Saga. Of course, they may be purposefully setting up concepts and ideas that don’t become relevant until future phases but it does seem curious how they are tackling this project and what it might mean for just how crazy the MCU becomes.

    Source: The Direct