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  • Charlie Cox’s ‘She-Hulk’ Appearance Could Be the Death Knell for the Decanonization of ‘Daredevil’

    Charlie Cox’s ‘She-Hulk’ Appearance Could Be the Death Knell for the Decanonization of ‘Daredevil’

    In a few weeks, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil will make his highly anticipated appearance in Marvel Studios’ streaming series, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. General audiences have seen footage of The Man Without Fear in teasers, trailers, and Episode 5 of the series, “Mean, Green and Straight Poured into These Jeans”, ended with a glimpse of Ol’ Hornhead’s new hornhead, getting fans primed for his eventual entrance. And while Murdock has already appeared in one MCU project in the past year, his brief cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t give fans enough time to get a sense of who he is. That’s all about to change and it’s a foregone conclusion that a whole lot of fans aren’t going to like it.

    Reading between the lines-hell, just reading the lines-of everything anyone associated with She-Hulk: Attorney At Law has had to say about Daredevil appearing in the show, it’s clear that Marvel Studios, who regained the live-action rights to the character just a couple of years ago, is rebooting the character in a way that seems to knock the three season of the Netflix series off the required viewing list. It’s not to say fans of Daredevil can’t still enjoy the show and that new fans couldn’t watch it and glean some important information from it. It’s just that this doesn’t seem to be the EXACT SAME Matt Murdock.

    Marvel Studios is smart here to let this play out on screen without ever giving a definitive answer because it allows them to both keep the conversation alive (all publicity is good publicity) and to “keep” the parts of the story built on Netflix that they like attached to the character, if only in the minds of the people who watched it. So much as they did with Peter Parker, they probably won’t redo the whole origin story and new fans will just get a condensed version of how this seemingly ordinary, blind lawyer ended up as a ninja with supersenses. However, when the character appears on She-Hulk in a few weeks, it’ll start to become pretty obvious that this version has some different bells and whistles.

    As part of the Marvel Studios Showcase at D23 Expo 2022, fans were treated to an exclusive first look at a scene from the DD episode of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The scene, involving Jen as Jen and Matt as an All-New, All-Different Daredevil, complete in his brand new mustard yellow suit, took place on a rooftop and instantly gave the audience the visual equivalent of the new car smell. Everything about Cox’s performance from his demeanor to his cadence, to the flirtatious nature of his interactions with Jen felt intentionally different. It’s not to say Cox never smiled or had a good time playing the character on Netflix; it’s more that he’s playing the character with a different bent here and one that tonally fits what fans have come to know about She-Hulk.

    And it’s not just Cox’s delivery that’s different. It’s more nuanced and detailed than that. His movements, his body language and, most notably, the Man Without Fear front flip he does off the top of the building as the scene comes to a close all look and feel brand new. Other than the piss poor handling of The Hand, one of the most frustrating things about the Netflix series was the lack of high-flying, acrobatics. For a character known as, you know, Daredevil, he didn’t do much Daredeviling. Doing some light somersaulting across a rooftop is a long way from the character’s comic book roots and in a 2-minute clip, Marvel Studios managed to get more thrilling acrobatics in than I remember in 3 seasons. That’s not to say he didn’t do any high-flying bits in Daredevil, there were maybe 5 spread out over the years, it’s just to say that it certainly wasn’t a big part of who that character was. Add that to the fancy flip that fans have seen in promo material for the show and you have reason to believe that Marvel Studios is going to make that a part of their DD’s toolbox.

    It’s a hard argument to make, especially since his new costume seems to be nothing more than a repainted version of his old costume and that it is the same actor wearing it. And maybe it’s not an argument worth making based on a 2-minute clip, but everything in that clip FEELS like an incredibly intentional effort to let fans know that while this is the character they know and love, it’s not exactly the character they know and love.

    Ultimately, Cox’s one-episode and change appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law may not provide enough evidence to definitively say whether or not this MCU version of the character really is an All-New, All-Different Daredevil. That might be something that isn’t entirely clear until his longer appearance in Echo ahead of his own 18-episode series, Daredevil: Born Again. It also might be something that’s never made crystal clear. However, what is clear is that when everyone sees Cox’s performance in She-Hulk, it’s going to cause quite the stir on social media and message boards, because no matter how hard people want to hold on to what they love, this appearance looks like it’ll sound the death knell for the canonical relevance for the Netflix version of the character, which may die a slow death over several years.

  • REVIEW: ‘Do Revenge’ is a Good Exploration of Female Friendships

    REVIEW: ‘Do Revenge’ is a Good Exploration of Female Friendships

    It’s hard to imagine, but before Thor: Love and Thunder, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson first made a name for herself with the MTV series, Sweet/Vicious. The short-lived series was critically acclaimed and focused on two girls named Jules and Ophelia who set out as wannabe vigilantes to make abusers on their college campus pay for what they’ve done. Robinson would then go on to direct a romantic comedy titled Somebody Great for Netflix which saw the film’s leading lady seek one last adventure with her best friends as she struggles to deal with a breakup. All of these projects have one central theme at hand: female friendships. It’s one of Robinson’s strongest abilities as a writer – it’s something that we even get to see in Love and Thunder with Jane and Valkyrie. However, Do Revenge might just be Robinson’s best effort yet.

    If one were to judge Do Revenge simply by the film’s trailer, they’d more than likely bill it as yet another teenage drama. But that isn’t necessarily the case. It’s so much more than that. The film centers on Drea (Camila Mendes) and Eleanor (Maya Hawke), two students who seemingly have nothing in common but will soon find they’re all they have. Simple concept, right? Sure, but what Robinson manages to do with said concept is impressive. Drea is an IT girl – she’s dating the most popular guy at school, she has three friends who follow her every command and she’s on track to get into Yale. Unfortunately, just as things seem to be going perfectly for Drea, everything seemingly falls apart. Enter Eleanor. She’s the complete opposite of Drea. After a traumatic event, she struggles to fit in and make friends and she’s eager to try to move beyond her past. At least, until she meets Drea.

    As the title would suggest, both girls are on a mission for revenge in the film. This is where Do Revenge begins to pull from Robinson’s work on both Sweet/Vicious and Someone Great. It shouldn’t work as well as it does, and yet, Do Revenge is a movie full of thrilling surprises. This isn’t just another teen movie. It’s about friendship, identity and growth. There are some serious issues addressed in Do Revenge, and while admittedly handled with a lighter tone than perhaps required, Robinson and Celeste Ballard (Sweet/Vicious) don’t shy away from the screwed-up way society responds to such screwed-up scenarios in the end.

    Mendes and Hawke are fantastic in Do Revenge. They have such good chemistry on screen that it helps sell the relationship with ease. For those only familiar with Mendes from Riverdale, Do Revenge is proof that she’s capable of more than the CW series has shown her to be capable of doing. She’s great in the film overall, but she truly shines when it comes to the emotional moments. While Hawke steals the show from the moment she arrives on screen. Much like her father, the young actress has a magnetic presence on screen, and she slips into the role of Eleanor with skill. Of all the characters featured in the movie, it is Hawke’s Eleanor that goes on the most rewarding journey and it’s hard to imagine another young actress that could’ve successfully tackled the role as well as Hawke. She’s fantastic.

    That isn’t to say the film isn’t without its faults. While a fun watch, sometimes, Do Revenge fails to properly handle the traumatic storylines it introduces. When the tone should be more serious, Do Revenge takes a more comedic approach. Thankfully, by the movie’s end, the film does get itself back on the right path, but those bumps in the third act? They are quite uncomfortable and hard to ignore while experiencing them.

    Overall, Do Revenge is a good story about female friendships and the many issues women face in society. It’s campy at times, but in those moments when the film is sure of itself and its characters? It shines brightly. Revenge might not always be the answer, but in this case, it is best to Do Revenge.

  • Paul Greengrass to Adapt Stephen King’s ‘Fairy Tale’

    Paul Greengrass to Adapt Stephen King’s ‘Fairy Tale’

    That headline seems like something out of a fairy tale but Deadline has reported that Paul Greengrass is indeed set to not only adapt Stephen King‘s latest bestselling novel Fairy Tale, but it seems he’s also going to produce and direct the project. It seems that King is actually a big fan of Greengrass, which led to him getting his hands on the project. The director had the following to say on the project:

    Fairy Tale is a work of genius. A classic adventure story and also a disturbing contemporary allegory.

    Paul Greengrass

    He’ll direct a story about a young 17-year-old boy who ends up inheriting keys to a world where good and evil are constantly at war. Of course,e as you may guess, this fairy tale world may potentially threaten our world just as much as its own. The film has no home yet but it seems that quite a few studios and streamers are interested in getting their hands on the project.

    Stephen King adaptations have seen a new resurgence after the success of It. Netflix has become quite popular as a home for various adaptations such as 1922 and Gerald’s Game. So, they may be a frontrunner to potentially get their hands on the project but it does seem like a high-fantasy series worthy of a theatrical release.

    Source: Deadline

  • REVIEW: ‘Stargirl’ 3×03: “The Blackmail”

    REVIEW: ‘Stargirl’ 3×03: “The Blackmail”

    A period of change can be incredibly stressful for any person, whether you’re trying to find a new job or if you’re uprooting your entire life. You never know where it might lead you. Yet, what happens when that big period of change is being buried alive? Well, Sylvester Pemberton is living that very nightmare and Stargirl has certainly flipped the veteran hero’s life upside down.

    The episode dives deeper into the suspects on the board that was set in the last episode. This time around it shifts its focus onto the Crock’s, as the team finds out that they’d been blackmailed by the Gambler for months. A little more of the Crocks is never a bad thing though, one of the best choices they could’ve made was bringing back Neil Hopkins and Joy Osmanski for season 3. The two just have great chemistry together as they somehow have this perfect harmony when interacting with each other.

    The reintroduction of Starman has been a surprisingly classic fish out of water story. Joel McHale works incredibly well as an out-of-touch, grizzled hero who just doesn’t know what his place in the world is anymore. The parallels between him and Courtney, as well as how they choose to act with the power of the Cosmic Staff gives the show an interesting balance.

    Fans will also find some enjoyment in a perfectly choreographed fight sequence within a grocery store. With that worryingly impulsive nature, Starman takes things into his own hands to confront the Crocks, leading to an dynamic and incredibly pleasing scuffle between him and the duo of Sportsmaster and Tigress.

    The stunt team for this series deserves some insane recognition for what they managed to put together. It’s one of the best aspects of the show that they continously improve upon and push the limits of whats possible for these characters. The dual style that Sportsmaster and Tigress have mastered truly makes this sequence pop the way it does.

    The best way to watch this season is to get into the mindset as if you’re watching an experiment unfold, seeing how these characters continue to coexist as if they’re reactive materials that could easily lead to an explosion at any time. In a way, it feels like a whole new way to enjoy the veteran show on CW.

  • ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ May Be Heading to Disney+ in October

    ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ May Be Heading to Disney+ in October

    It’s felt like half an eternity ago when Sony announced that they’ve made a deal with Marvel to release some of their projects on Disney+. The first-look deal with Netflix had many wondering if that limits what they’ll add in but slowly throughout the last few months, we saw the iconic Spider-Man franchise find its way home to Disney+. Now, one of the most popular animated shows is finally getting the same love.

    As shared by Discussing Film on Twitter, it looks like Spectacular Spider-Man‘s first season is heading to Disney+ on October 19th. There’s no word when we might expect the second season but there’s a chance that is still a few more months out. Its addition to Disney+ and the upcoming X-Men: The Animated Series revival might have many hoping that this could give the classic animated series another chance on the platform with a third season.

    Disney+ is “the Home of Marvel” according to Disney and they seemingly are trying to make sure every property under the sun ever produced with that brand makes it there. The Sony deal is the first time they’re able to bring Spider-Man back and the cooperation for the Home-themed trilogy definitely played a big part in that movement. Perhaps the fallout that almost sank No Way Home‘s original vision made their connection stronger and led to the current climate of these projects getting released on the platform.

    Source: Discussing Film

  • Amazon Found its Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid for Untitled Series, ‘Eternals’ Writers Attached

    Amazon Found its Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid for Untitled Series, ‘Eternals’ Writers Attached

    It seems that Amazon is moving forward with a new series that’ll take another look at the story of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid. For now, the series has no title but will be produced by Joe and Anthony Russo‘s AGBO. It seems the studio won it from Disney+ and Peacock in a bidding war. The scripts will be written by Kaz and Ryan Firpo, who were the masterminds behind the Eternals film.

    As it stands, they have added Regé-Jean Page and Glen Powell as Cassidy and the Sundance Kid respectively. Both have been seeing a soaring success in their franchise with Page‘s role on Bridgerton and Powell fresh off a jet engine-fueled production like Top Gun: Maverick. Amazon is seemingly all in with this project, as they are envisioning it as a larger franchise with various series and spinoffs.

    It should be noted that this version of the story takes place in an alternative America similar to For All Mankind and Man in the High Castle‘s approach. It’s unclear just how they’ll tackle the story and if that also means it’ll take place during the modern day. Still, it seems the project was quite the hot commodity with big streamers going after it.

    The project still has no name while The Hollywood Reporter calls it Butch and Sundance. It’s also another big step forward for AGBO productions, which has been quite busy with The Gray Man’s recent release on Netflix and another big project on the horizon. It also is part of their Amazon deal which includes the upcoming project Citadel that has Josh Applebaum and Andrew Nemec attached.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Neil Blomkamp’s ‘Gran Turismo’ Adds Archie Madekwe to Star Opposite David Harbour

    Neil Blomkamp’s ‘Gran Turismo’ Adds Archie Madekwe to Star Opposite David Harbour

    It looks like Neil Blomkamp‘s upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular Sony gaming franchise Gran Turismo is truly turning into high gear. Not only did it recently add David Harbour in the main role, but it also has now cast Archie Madekwe of Apple TV+’s See fame in a major role. It’s a big step forward for the actor’s career as there’s a lot of hope to build up a big franchise with this adaptation.

    It seems he’ll take on the role of the driver in this feature film, which means he’s taking on the main role while Harbour will be an old driver that teaches him how he should dominate the race tracks. With Gran Turismo‘s focus on being a driving simulator, there’s no exact word which driving sport will be at the focus or if they might explore his rise to fame throughout different types.

    The film is based on a script by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin with PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Career Swan in producing roles. They are also joined by Doug Belgrad and Dana Brunetti. It seems that production may already start next week which gives Harbour enough time to work on the project before he potentially starts getting ready for his return as Red Guardian in Thunderbolts.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • BREAKING: Marvel Studios Title Pushed 7 Months

    BREAKING: Marvel Studios Title Pushed 7 Months

    After news of the Untitled Marvel Studios film set for February 16th, 2024 failed to come out of either SDCC ’22 or D23, fans began to wonder about the fate of the film. Today, the official word from Disney ended that speculation. The film has now been pushed to September 6, 2024.

    It certainly adds some speculation on what this project may have been. Of course, with quite a few films in some form of production, there are a lot of options to choose from. The good thing is that this is a sign that they are giving productions the time they need instead of forcing something to get rushed out with that initial release date.

    While some feel like Marvel sticks very strictly to its announced release schedules, they have made quite a few shifts throughout the years to adapt however the project needed it. The question of course remains if this is a project that is still being worked out and requires more time as a result. We might never truly know but there’s still some time before they’ll further announce whatever projects they have mapped out in Phase 6 beyond Fantastic Four.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Rogue Squadron’ Removed From Lucasfilm’s Slate

    ‘Rogue Squadron’ Removed From Lucasfilm’s Slate

    The writing has been on the wall for some time. Star Wars Celebration and D23 came and went with no news of the Star Wars spinoff, Rogue Squadron, and now official news comes from Disney that it has been removed from its targeted date and the release schedule entirely.

    The removal of Rogue Squadron from Disney’s schedule shouldn’t be too surprising, of course. Nearly a year ago, it was reported that Jenkins was putting the film on the backburner, confirming it would not enter production this year for a 2023 release date. The project was originally unveiled during an investor’s call in 2020. The studio and Jenkins even unveiled a teaser video with Jenkins teasing her excitement over a project she had hoped to be “the greatest fighter pilot movie ever made.”

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is currently unknown whether or not Disney and/or Jenkins will return to Rogue Squadron at a future date. Matthew Robinson, who co-wrote The Invention of Lying, was announced as the film’s writer in 2021. It is currently unclear if Robinson will remain on board should the film move forward once again.

    Source: THR.

  • Disney Shifts Future Film Slate

    Disney Shifts Future Film Slate

    The wave of Disney pushing back release dates for theatrical projects continues even with the gradual decline of the pandemic. It has officially been revealed that multiple projects are moving around from their initially announced release dates. 

    Most notably, the untitled Marvel Studios film initially scheduled to release on February 16, 2024, has moved back a few months into September 6, 2024. It has yet to be revealed what film would’ve filled this date (especially with the other later releasing 2024 films being revealed earlier this year at San Diego Comic-Con), but it has been speculated by some that this would’ve been the date for the Deadpool sequel film in development and apparently nearing the start of production. As well, Haunted Mansion will be moving up from its scheduled August 11, 2023 release to March 10, 2023.

    In addition, Disney has revealed the following release dates for various notable upcoming films in 2024:

    • Pixar’s Elio – March 1, 2024
    • The Rachel Zegler-led Snow White – March 22, 2024
    • Pixar’s Inside Out 2 – June 14, 2024
    • Barry Jenkins’ prequel Mufasa: The Lion King – July 5, 2024

    One point of concern in all these moves comes with the removal of Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron from Disney’s release schedule. The film had previously been earmarked for a December 22, 2023 release, but essentially no updates have been made for the film in an extended period of time. This certainly doesn’t mean that the film is canceled, but it serves as an indicator that the highly anticipated film in the Star Wars franchise is much further away than Lucasfilm had initially planned for.

    Source: Twitter.