It has been a busy year for David Harbour, and his slate is set to grow with a new marquee film project. The actor has been announced to be starring in a film adaptation of PlayStation’s Gran Turismo video game franchise. The project is set to be co-produced by Sony Pictures and Playstation Productions, based on a screenplay by Jason Hall and Zach Baylan with Neill Blomkamp set to direct.
The film is said to be based on the true story of a teenage gamer who subsequently became a competition-winning professional race-car driver thanks to it. It’s unknown at this time how Harbour’s role will play into the narrative.
The Japanese-originated franchise Gran Turismo released its first game, created by Kazunori Yamauchi, in 1997. The franchise has been praised for revolutionizing the racing genre of video games through its authenticity to the driving experience. The most recent game in the franchise, Gran Turismo 7, was released for Playstation consoles on March 2, 2022.
For Harbour, this adds another notable role to his calendar, shortly after it was announced that he was set to return as Alexei Shostakov, a.k.a. The Red Guardian, for Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts. Harbour continues this hot streak after 2022’s fourth season of Stranger Things , and will subsequently return for the fifth and final season.
Gran Turismo is currently scheduled to release theatrically on August 11, 2023.
Following his appearance in Eternals, questions have been raised about the status of Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film’s post-credit tag definitely set the stage for his character to take on the superheroic mantle of the Black Knight. Between seemingly being about to reveal his family lineage to Sersi (before her abduction by Arishem the Judge) and retrieving the Ebony Blade, Marvel Studios made it clear there are bigger plans for his character beyond his supporting role in Eternals.
According to Kit Harrington, however, the plans for when he would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe remain unclear. In an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor discussed his uncertainty about what Marvel Studios has planned for him.
I don’t know how much they’re planning. And you know, I hope to be involved in future stuff, with that character, with Dane Whitman, and that he might go on and be the thing that everyone quotes at me in the street. But I honestly don’t know. I don’t know what their plans are. I know they’re going into a kind of Phase 5.
Kit Harrington
While one can certainly take his quote at face value, a fair amount of skepticism that there are currently no plans for Kit Harrington to return as the Black Knight can also be applied. This is based on the well-documented history of actors feigning ignorance about their future at Marvel Studios, only to subsequently be revealed to be in a notable role for an upcoming project. A most recent example of this is Wyatt Russell’s denial of having any plans to be brought back as John Walker, and then being revealed just months later to be a lead in the upcoming Thunderbolts film.
With that in mind, the most obvious place to anticipate a return for Harrington would be 2023’s Blade. It would serve as the obvious connection after the film’s star Mahershala Ali provided a voice cameo for the post-credit scene of Eternals. Though whether or not Kit Harrington does show up in Blade, it will be interesting to follow what character direction is taken with the Black Knight.
As Vincent D’Onofrio remained on stage following the Echo portion of Marvel Studios’ panel at D23 Expo, he told Kevin Feige that he wanted to talk about “his show.” D’Onofrio’s remarks drew a roar from the crowd, but that roar turned deafening when Charlie Cox walked on stage asking if D’Onofrio meant he wanted to talk about Cox’s show. When the crowd settled, the pair of stars, along with Feige, went on to briefly tease Daredevil: BornAgain, the 18-episode streaming series that will put Cox back in the driver’s seat of his own series since the 2018 cancellation of Netflix’s Daredevil.
After a year of wondering if word of his return to the dual roles of Matt Murdock and Daredevil was true, Cox’s appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home generated a great deal of excitement about the future of the beloved character. Shorty after, rumors of his now confirmed appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law began to swirl, followed by rumors of an appearance in Echo and then, at July’s SDCC ’22, Feige made the thrilling announcement that the studio was going ahead with Daredevil: Born Again. What started with the smallest of cameo appearances for Cox has now grown into a project the size of which Marvel Studios has never attempted on Disney Plus. Cox will be a busy man for the next couple of years and while at D23, he talked about joining the MCU and he was incredibly excited.
This feels like we’re just getting started here. This is all overwhelming. This feels like we got invited to the party we always wanted to be invited to. To be starting on this journey again. To have the body of work that we have behind us, but we take some of that and the experiences we’ve had and now tell more stories again…it’s like a dream come true.
Charlie Cox
Cox’s enthusiasm for the role seems to match the enthusiasm fans have for him in it. Rumors persist that his character’s appearance in Echo will not only dovetail into Daredevil: Born Again, but also that he may not be the only Marvel Netflix character to appear, meaning he might not be the only one invited to the party…
Daredevil is set to appear in an upcoming episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, streaming on Disney Plus.
Incest is back on the menu, folks. We got to see the beginning of Daemon lusting after Rhaenyra, after coming home from the Stepstones as a self-proclaimed King. With the episode preview, it seemed that the brothers would be at odds with each other, but Daemon handed the King his crown without hesitation. They were happy and joking throughout the beginning of the episode…but that didn’t last very long.
Rhaenyra was itching to have a night away from the Red Keep, and Daemon was more than willing to show her some of the after-dark activities in King’s Landing. They happened upon a street performance about the Targaryen successors, where spectators were actively jeering towards the proposition of Rhaenyra being queen, with Rhaenyra pushing aside their concerns, since they don’t have a choice in the matter. Keep an eye on that. Another foreshadowing in that same sequence was the blind woman asking if Rhaenyra wanted to see her own death. Did you catch what the next frame was?
Next stop? A brothel, where there was all sorts of extracurricular activities going on. Both Rhaenyra and Daemon had some drinks and started making out and coming pretty close to sexing each other before Daemon had second thoughts and disappeared. Rhaenyra was still rearing to go, so she found a suitable replacement in the Kingsguard Criston Cole. This is a big change from the book, where Rhaenyra had a big crush on him, but they never actually did the thing. That was saved for someone else who you saw in the episode (not Daemon!).
Rhaenyra’s Exploits
Over this entire season, Rhaenyra has had some existential crises. First losing her mother, then losing her best friend-who became her stepmother- followed by worrying about being supplanted as heir, and now feeling like she is just a prize to be sold off to the highest bidder. She’s yearning for freedom and to escape these pressures, and these last two episodes she’s had Criston and Daemon to help her out.
Otto Hightower once again overreached, spilling the beans on Rhaenyra and Daemon, but Viserys was having none of it, and sent him back to Oldtown, finally. He knows that Otto’s ambition is to place his grandson, Aegon, on the Iron Throne and any ammo he gets he will use. The source of his information is none other than the White Worm, or Mysaria. She’s becoming the Varys, Master of Whisperers, of this generation. It’s shown that Daemon wakes up in her room, hinting that Daemon and her planned for Rhaenyra to be seen in the brothel and this information to get back to Viserys. Daemon’s endgame here seems to be to ruin Rhaenyra so no one else will marry her so he can snatch her up and take the throne. Kind of a dumb move, especially with your brother’s daughter.
Alicent and Rhaenyra’s time in the Godswood was also important. Alicent is horrified that Rhaenyra would even think of doing these things, especially with her uncle. Rhaenyra lies, swearing on her mother’s own grave that Daemon never touched her, and Alicent believes her. How far will Rhaenyra lie and go to make herself seem innocent?
The Tea
So, what was that drink that the maester handed Rhaenyra at the end of the episode? If you watched Game of Thrones, this should seem familiar. It’s Moon Tea, a Westeros type of Plan B that would save you from any unwanted pregnancy. Lysa Arryn, the sister of Catelyn Stark, took it after her and Littlefinger had sex. The tea came directly from Viserys, who does not care who the father is, or even if there is a father. He only wants to make sure there aren’t any repercussions. The episode ends before it’s revealed if she took it. Will she keep Criston Cole’s baby, setting off a rumor mill of whose father her bastard is? Or will she take the tea, and possibly create a rift between her and Ser Criston? He was already pretty reluctant to take off that white cloak and destroy his vows, so this might put it over the top.
Somehow the show has seemingly sped through 4 episodes of this first season, and there has been a lot of setup and time jumps already. Even with years passing between episodes, it seems like we aren’t missing much, and we’re due for an even bigger jump after episode 5. If you’ve seen any previews or know the backstory, you know that Rhaenyra and Alicent both have younger and older versions of their characters in the show, and we haven’t met the older versions yet (Besides older Rhaenyra being the narrator in the pilot). This coming episode will likely be the last of the younger versions (Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy) as the primaries, so enjoy their performances while you can.
America, get ready to scream bloody murder. Producers Lorin McCraley and Paul Sinacore are preparing to bring the story of Boone Helm, America’s first recorded serial killer, to life on the big screen. Tentatively titled Boone, the film is a period piece set in the late 1850s onward, that will chronicle the last days of “the Kentucky Cannibal” as two determined lawmen track his vile exploits across the breadth of the Wild West. Helm was known for his extreme self-preservation, which famously involved him consuming trail mates in order to survive harsh conditions. Boone will begin filming in the Fall of 2023 on location in Missouri, and if the producers have their way, will star two A-listers in the lead roles.
The production is looking to offer the parts of Helm and Sheriff Nathan Hurley to A-list names only. For Helm, the studio is searching for an A-lister between 40-55 years old to play the character. Sheriff Hurley, the law man whose son was killed by Boone, will be portrayed by an A-lister between 50 and 85.
Boone will require its talent to have horsemanship skills and hopes to acquire several strong supporting leads for its anticipated $6 million shoot. The film was written by McCraley and Edward Cieplinski, and there is currently no director attached.
When Netflix announced that a Squid Game reality competition spin-off was in the works, fans of the hit Korean survival drama were understandably surprised. The original series explored how capitalism and greed can destroy lives, and yet here the streamer was approving a real-life version, called Squid Game: The Challenge, in which 456 players will compete for a massive cash prize, seemingly missing the point of the show.
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk was given the opportunity to comment on the spin-off after winning the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the show. He was asked about Squid Game: The Challenge backstage in the press room, and he doesn’t appear too worried about the prospect. He explained:
Yes, I am aware of the reality show being created. I actually met with the creator yesterday, and they had many questions for me. What I hope is that they will be carrying on my vision and intention as much as possible for the show.
Hwong Dong-hyul
While Hwang is upbeat about the spin-off, he understands why fans were concerned:
I think that even though our show does carry quite a heavy message, and I know there are some concerns of taking that message and creating it into a reality show with a cash prize, however I feel like whenever you take things too seriously, that’s really not the best way to go for the entertainment industry. Doesn’t really set a great precedent. So I would say that reproductions of such efforts are going to bring new meaning to the industry, and I hope that this is going to be a great new direction for the industry overall.
Hwong Dong-hyui
Squid Game: The Challenge is a 10-episode series being filmed in the U.K. English-language speakers from around the world were invited to apply for their shot at winning $4.56 million.
As reported by Deadline, Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale), Froy Gutierrez (Cruel Summer), and Gabriel Basso (Hillbilly Elegy) have been cast in the Lionsgate remake of The Strangers, which has begun production in Slovakia. Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger) is directing the first installment of a trilogy and has already signed on to direct the second and third installments.
The original The Strangers was a home invasion film written and directed by Bryan Bertino in his feature debut, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. It was a sleeper hit when it was released in May 2008 by Universal Pictures and became a cult classic in the years since, with the sequel The Strangers: Prey at Night being released in March 2018.
Producer Courtney Soloman described why the remake was being tackled:
When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world. Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.
Courtney Soloman
The new Strangers movie will follow Petsch’s character as she drives across the country with her longtime boyfriend to start a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they are forced to spend the night in a remote Airbnb, where they are terrorized by three masked strangers from dusk to dawn. Lionsgate intends to expand the story in novel and unexpected ways with its sequels.
Jeanine Mason looks to have found her next project. Variety reports that the Roswell, New Mexico alum has signed on to appear in Season 3 of Prime Video’s hit series, Upload. The outlet states Mason will play Karina Silva, a charming senior Horizen executive who is in charge of new product development and cybersecurity.
The actress is coming off of Roswell, New Mexico, the second adaptation of the Roswell High books from author Melinda Metz, where she played Liz Ortecho. The series ran for four seasons on the CW, with the series ending its run earlier this month on the network. Prior to Roswell, the actress starred in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Sam Bello, as well as the ABC Family series, Bunheads. She’ll join a cast led by Robbie Amell and Andy Allo.
The second season of Upload finally premiered earlier this year, two years after the first season debuted. It was announced in May that Prime Video had given a third season pick-up to Amazon, and up until now, little to no news has been made available regarding the forthcoming season.
The half-hour series hails from Greg Daniels, who has worked on titles such as Parks & Recreation, King of the Hilland The Office, to name a few.
With the announcement that Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns would square off with Sam Wilson in Captain America: New World Order, the revitalization of 2008’s oft-panned The Incredible Hulk continues along an impressive arc. 2021 saw the return of an updated Abomination in Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, followed by Tim Roth’s return to the MCU as Abomination’s alter ego, Emil Blonsky, in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. Suddenly what was very, very old (in MCU years) is new again and creating a fairly significant buzz among MCU fans.
With the returns of Blonsky and Sterns and the addition of Jennifer Walters, the Hulk family of characters is suddenly looking incredibly strong and with the rumors of a World War Hulk project in the works, it’s possible that even more of the characters from The Incredible Hulk might return AND some classic comic book characters could join the fray. Here’s a look at some interesting options to consider from both groups.
Betty Ross
The character that’s long been the center of much of the online chatter as a favorite to return is Betty Ross, played by Liv Tyler in The Incredible Hulk. It’s hard to believe that a character so central to the life of Bruce Banner played so small a role in the MCU, but even though rumors have poped up over the years, Betty hasn’t been seen since the earliest days of Phase 1. However, if Sterns and Blonsky can be written into the Multiverse Saga, there’s no reason to think Betty can’t be. With the plot of She-Hulk involving efforts to get ahold of Jen’s blood (which Bruce admits is BETTER), there’s a whole mess of ways that Betty, and other characters, could get reintegrated into the MCU as gamma mutates. Betty’s had a couple different turns in the comics as Red She-Hulk and Harpy, and it would be a blast to see her join up as either of those, especially with the passing of William Hurt likely meaning General Ross will never be the MCU’s Red Hulk.
Doc Samson
Ty Burrell played Leonard Samson back in 2008 and while he didn’t really get much to do, a foundation was built that could allow the character, even if not the actor, to return. Like his comic book counterpart, the MCU Samson is known as a brilliant psychiatrist. Of course in the comics, Samson was exposed to gamma radiation and became a green-haired, muscled up gamma mutate, so there’s certainly room to grow. Over the years, Samson has served as the Hulk’s psychiatrist and an ally. With Hulk’s trip to Sakaar set to reveal some interesting news, it’s looking like a call to Doc to chat about some issues could be on the docket.
Glenn Talbot
One of the more interesting options, should the MCU be willing to expand the Hulk’s cast of supporting characters is Major Glenn Talbot. I know what you’re thinking, Talbot’s already in the MCU because he was big star in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, if you think Feige’s touching the convoluted disaster that became of Adrian Pasdar’s character, you need to chat with Doc Samson. Should the MCU be marching towards a World War Hulk project, one might expect a military presence and Talbot would be the perfect fit to lead the charge from Gamma Base. Josh Lucas portrayed the character in Ang Lee’s 2003 Hulk and the now 51-year old actor might be willing to play the Multiversal Variant card and join the MCU.
Rick Jones
No character has suffered as Rick Jones has suffered. In the comics, Jones was both the reason that Bruce Banner became the Hulk and the Hulk’s best friend. Jones spent time with Captain America and being bonded to Mar-Vell and yet has never even sniffed the opportunity to join the MCU. The time could be now for Jones as the potential for the creation of other gamma mutates could open the door for Jones’ alter ego of A-Bomb. It would be a great tragedy if Jones and A-Bomb never moved beyond Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
Amadeus Cho
While he eventually became the Totally Awesome Hulk, it’s Cho’s friendship with the Hulk at a time where everyone else betrayed him that makes him a fun potential addition to the MCU. Cho’s mother, Helen, already exists in the MCU and fans have sort of always assumed that she was introduced in Age of Ultron so that Amadeus might eventually be brought along. With the MCU’s present day taking place in 2025, a teenage Cho could pop up in a few years. And having him around while both the Hulk and Hercules are making noise would be a great nod to his early comic appearances.
If you were one of the many fans confused at Mahershala Ali‘s random voice cameo at the end of Eternals then Werewolf By Night would have been the MCU project to make up for that confusion. A rumor from the Weekly Planet Podcast is claiming that Ali was originally supposed to make his live-action appearance in next month’s Werewolf By Night Halloween special but was cut due to scheduling problems. According to podcast host James Clement:
Anyway, here’s a scoop, Mason… Blade, I can’t prove this, was originally set to debut in a Halloween special but was cut due to scheduling conflicts… Monster hunter, goes to a monster house. Makes sense, love that. It’s not happening, apparently.
Announced 3 years ago in SDCC 2019, the Blade project has long been in the works. By the time the film releases next November, it’ll be 4 years since Ali was announced. With a project taking this long, it makes sense for Marvel Studios to introduce the character elsewhere while fans wait for the film. There’s no telling if there are other plans to have Blade appear in an upcoming film but fans are surely excited to see the character finally debut in the MCU.
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