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  • ‘Mud’ Star Jacob Lofland Latest to Join ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

    ‘Mud’ Star Jacob Lofland Latest to Join ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

    The cast for the sequel to 2019’s Joker continues to grow as the start of production draws nearer. Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener have already joined Joaquin Phoenix in the film and now young star Jacob Lofland has as well. According to a trade report, Lofland will play a role associated with Gotham’s Arkham Asylum.

    THR’s sources indicate that Lofland will play an inmate in the asylum where Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck was shown to be at the end of Joker. With Lady Gaga on board the project as Harley Quinn, it seems that Arkham will be the film’s primary setting.

    Todd Phillips is returning to direct after the first film generated significant buzz for WB, garnering 11 Academy Award nominations and 2 wins, including Best Actor for Phoenix. Joker: Folie à Deux is currently slated to hit theaters on October 4, 2024.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Squid Game’ Earns History-Making Emmy Wins

    ‘Squid Game’ Earns History-Making Emmy Wins

    Last night, the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards took place and the Netflix drama, Squid Game, managed to earn history-making wins. After making history for its nominations, Squid Game walked away with multiple wins last night. Leading man Lee Jung-jae won Lead Actor in a Drama Series, while series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk won for Best Directing for a Drama Series. Jung-jae’s win makes him the first Asian man to win the award, and the first to win it for a non-English show.

    The series first made history back in July when it became the first non-English language drama to secure an Emmy nomination in the main drama category. Outside of Jung-jae and Dong-hyuk’s nominations, the series also received 12 additional nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.

    Squid Game took the world by storm when it debuted on Netflix last year. It quickly became one of the streaming service’s biggest titles ever, and fans have been eagerly awaiting a second season ever since. Thankfully, Dong-hyuk has confirmed Season 2 and Season 3 are in the works, although no specific timeline as to when they’ll be released has been unveiled. Along with a second season, Netflix is looking to expand the Squid Game franchise with the addition of a reality series inspired by the hit series.

  • ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ From Page to Screen: Episode 4

    ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ From Page to Screen: Episode 4

    Welcome back to yet another From page to Screen focusing on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. In the show’s first week, we looked at the differences between the comics’ and series’ versions of Jennifer Walters’ origin story. The following week, viewers got a live-action introduction to Jen’s new legal job, taken straight out of Dan Slott’s and Juan Bobillo’s 2004 She-Hulk run—Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway (GLK&H). Episode 3 introduced a reimagined version of comic book villains and now, in its fourth week, the show decided to focus a bit on Jen’s love life.

    While mainly focusing on Wong, Donny Blaze, and Madisynn, episode four’s B-plot followed Jen as she tried to rekindle her love life through a dating app. While initially presenting herself as… Jennifer Walters, Attorney at Law (to dismal results), she quickly realized that She-Hulk could be a far more intriguing persona in the eyes of the opposite sex. This didn’t come without its setbacks as the one guy who seemed like a perfect fit, even if being a textbook cliché, lost all interest when Jen reverted to her natural form.

    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 4
    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 4

    This will undoubtedly become a learning experience for Jen, with one of two outcomes. In the future, she’ll either go out as herself so as not to surprise her dates when the morning comes, or she’ll try to keep up appearances and stay in She-Hulk form for as long as needed, while the guys are still around.

    In She-Hulk #1 (2014) she decided to take up the latter as she tries to avoid what she calls “The Look”. The “I-went-home-with-She-Hulk-but-woke-up-to-this.” look. This approach somewhat opposes what we’ve seen from Jen in the series so far, as it is being in She-Hulk form that makes her a bit uncomfortable and feeling not like herself.

    She-Hulk #1 (2004)
    She-Hulk #1 (2004)

    But, as in the show, her decision isn’t always the best. And while in the series she got rejected by Arthur for being Jen, in the comic she’s rejected by Mika for being She-Hulk and exuding a lack of depth that perhaps Jennifer herself wouldn’t lack. The fact that Mika was looking for something more while being an underwear model himself just made it sting a little bit more.

    She-Hulk #1 (2004)

    Another similarity between the comics and the show is how She-Hulk apparently manages to fascinate all sorts of men. What they all seem to lack is a real interest in who the actual person behind She-Hulk is. When deciding to focus on everything that makes her visually unique, they completely miss the mark on what Jen believes she brings to the table when it comes to being in a relationship. It is only when she lets her guard down and somehow lets herself be a bit more superficial that things evolve, only to bring herself to the previously mentioned early morning rejection.

    This, the fact that men seem to have little to no boundaries in terms of approaching She-Hulk just due to the novelty factor, either in weird ways or simply in the worst possible situations, is also a common situation in the comics. This highlights just how entitled some men can be when it comes to women, and also just how much women have to deal with in similar circumstances. And if She-Hulk definitively has the physical prowess to stick up for herself if the situation asks for it, that is definitely not always the case in the real world. The way the series allows Todd to simply utter the words “What a specimen.” right after Jen basically admits to being indestructible just makes everything completely transparent. Just another thing that both the show and the comics have in common. Considering this run is about to turn 20 years old and the subject matter remains incredibly pertinent is also worth highlighting.

    She-Hulk #1 (2004)

    At the end of the day, all these trials and tribulations are what eventually lead to Jen feeling more like herself both in and out of She-Hulk form. Understanding when each look better suits the situation and taking advantage of what each allows her to accomplish that the other one doesn’t, as we’ll soon see in the series as we approach the second half of the season.

    The first Four episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law are now streaming on Disney+.

  • ‘Stranger Things’ Director Hints at Cinematic Universe for Netflix Series

    ‘Stranger Things’ Director Hints at Cinematic Universe for Netflix Series

    Cinematic Universes are all the rage as many are still chasing after what Marvel Studios has seemingly accomplished. While that franchise still moving forward with more diverse projects that offer something new, many others still trying to get theirs going. Yet, there are some surprising new additions to the “cinematic universe” catch-up such as Netflix trying to build one based on the Power Rangers, which is fitting given the legacy series’ way of building multiple teams throughout the years. Yet, it seems they also have plans or one more franchise, Stranger Things.

    Stranger Things veteran Shawn Levy, who is currently also set to direct the third Deadpool movie, teased the future plans for the popular Netflix series and seemingly confirmed they are building a “STCU” and he’s currently taking a few cues from his work with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

    Yes, we are building out the STCU, and now that I’m spending time with [chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment] Kevin Feige, I’m learning a lot about how to manage a universe. So I’m taking those skills and applying them to the STCU.

    Shawn Levy

    Some might have concerns regarding a “Cinematic Universe” approach to the series but we’ve heard in the past that the Duffer Brothers are already working on spinoff projects. So, they may simply be looking into ways to use the Upside Down as a basis for various horror franchises. They also are likely simply using the name with the various future entries that simply take place in the same world as Stranger Things but

    Source: Variety

  • Don Cheadle May Have Hinted at Rhodey Being a Skrull in ‘Secret Invasion’

    Don Cheadle May Have Hinted at Rhodey Being a Skrull in ‘Secret Invasion’

    When Don Cheadle took the stage to talk about Secret Invasion at D23 Expo 2022, Kevin Feige mentioned that it wasn’t the series he was there to discuss. To that end, Cheadle and Feige gave an update on the Disney Plus streaming series Armor Wars, a project that fans have begun to wonder quite a bit about over the past few months.

    Feige and Cheadle assured fans that not only was the project still in the works but that it is on track to go into production next year and would connect directly to the events of Secret Invasion. With Secret Invasion set to explore an MCU where Skrulls have infiltrated every corner and with Rhodey set to play such a key role, one has to wonder if he’s been simmed himself, which would put one of the MCU’s most senior members in a very tough and surprising spot.

    In an interview with Phase Zero, Cheadle walked on eggshells while describing where Rhodey will be when Armor Wars kicks off, but left just enough room to make everyone unsure of his fate in Secret Invasion.

    At a very different place and in a way that is something I can’t really talk about but it’s going to be very surprising to a lot of people. And the great thing is that there’s going to be so much opportunity to learn about him and for him to learn about himself and for us, hopefully, to really be able to get behind what makes him tick.

    Don Cheadle

    With Secret Invasion being adapted to the MCU, it’s long been assumed that at least some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes would be Skrulls in disguise. With a small number of Avengers set to turn up in the series, unlike the comic event which involved all of Marvel’s heavy hitters, Rhodey is as good a bet as any to be an alien infiltrator. How long could it have been? And would he even be aware of his status as a Skrull spy (in the comics, many of the Skrulls are so deeply embedded in their infiltration that they don’t even know they aren’t the people they are swimming)? We’ll find out soon as Secret Invasion should hit Disney Plus early in 2023.

    Source: Phase Zero

  • Brendan Fraser Calls Cancellation of ‘Batgirl’ “Disappointing”

    Brendan Fraser Calls Cancellation of ‘Batgirl’ “Disappointing”

    We’ve found ourselves smack in a Brendanaissance as Brendan Fraser makes his triumphant return to Hollywood. The actor has been making quite the comeback in the past few years like with DC’s Doom Patrol and has been receiving quite a bit of praise for his work in the upcoming Darren Aronofsky film The Whale. Fans were excited to see Fraser return to the DC Multiverse in an antagonist role for Batgirl, but sadly Warner Brothers Discovery decided to throw a wrench into the plans and cancel the film.

    In an interview with Variety, the actor shared his disappointment in an interview with Variety in regards to the decision, even going as far as to call out Warner Bros. Discovery’s CFO for downplaying the recent events.

    Well stop talking about it because Gunnar Wiedenfels does not want people thinking about this, thats what I read. Its disappointing, the fans really wanted to see this film made. I was there, Leslie Grace is a dynamo, like she’s like a power q-tip, she just goes for it, she looks great in the outfit, the movie itself was shot and conceived for a smaller screen and in this age that we’ve come out of now, between streaming service vs theatrical release, it wound up being the canary in the coal mine. So, what can we learn from this? Work with trusted filmmakers, like Darren [Aronofsky].

    Brendan Fraser

    Fraser was set to play Firefly, a violent arsonist who’d been let down by the system and turned to a life of crime in order to support his family, taking his fiery rage to the streets of Gotham City in order to make ends meet. We can only hope that one day the film somehow sees the light of day, but for now, fans will have to get their fill of Fraser in the DC Universe with Doom Patrol, with a new season coming soon.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Armor Wars’ Star Confirms Disney+ Series Plot

    ‘Armor Wars’ Star Confirms Disney+ Series Plot

    Marvel Studios has built up a reputation at this point for taking the iconic comics and giving them a unique spin. No matter where one lands if that works for them, it still gave them an opportunity to adapt iconic storylines to the recurrent timeline they’ve built over the years while also making it unique for new viewers. If Don Cheadle is anything to go by, they are going to keep this tradition with his upcoming Disney+ series Armor Wars.

    While he doesn’t give away any details, he does confirm that it’ll take inspiration from the original comic storyline in which Tony Stark’s technology lands in the wrong hands, and this time around forces his friend Rhodey to once again don his War Machine armor to ensure this doesn’t become a bigger issue. In an interview with ComicBook.com’s Brandon Davis, he does highlight though that Marvel will still “tip it on its head.”

    As Marvel does, it’s also an opportunity to take the mythology and tip it on its head a little bit and come up with different ways to tell the story. So, it’s doing that and doing that in spades.

    Don Cheadle

    Armor Wars was announced quite a while ago but seemingly got pushed back for some time. Cheadle teases that Rhodey is going to be at a very different place that he can’t reveal but hints that it’s “going to be very surprising.” He has a role in Secret Invasions as revealed in the Disney+ series trailer and it’ll be interesting to see how it ties into the bigger mythology.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Iron Man 2’ Star Open to Return as Justin Hammer for ‘Thunderbolts’

    ‘Iron Man 2’ Star Open to Return as Justin Hammer for ‘Thunderbolts’

    When it was first announced that we’d be getting an adaptation of Thunderbolts, theories went wild on who may have a role and who may not. While the reception has been mixed to positive, mostly due to the concern of a lack of variety given the abundance of super soldiers, there still was some excitement for a group of anti-heroes tackling a mission the Avengers wouldn’t. Still, many were definitely missing Iron Man villain, Justin Hammer.

    Luckily, The Playlist got a chance to interview Sam Rockwell, who played the character in Iron Man 2 and even the All Hail the King One-Shot, if he’d be interested to join the Thunderbolts line-up. While throughout the interview, he was mostly confused about who that was, making sure it’s not a new name for War Machine he shares his excitement to potentially join.

    Yeah, I would be into that. [Thunderbolts] sounds cool… What villains would be in that?

    Sam Rockwell

    He’d definitely make for a perfect addition to the team, especially with them going to require quite a few weapons to take on whatever they may be facing. Perhaps he’s been out of prison for a while and has been working with the Power Broker, maybe Agent 13 is also just pretending to be the face as he provides whatever weaponry she required. We’ll see if there are a few members that haven’t been revealed yet for Thunderbolts.

    Source: The Playlist via The Direct

  • Crunchyroll Sets November Release for ‘One Piece Film RED’ in the US

    Crunchyroll Sets November Release for ‘One Piece Film RED’ in the US

    The wait has been long but One Piece Film RED finally has a release date in the United States in Canada. Toei Animation and Crunchyroll will roll out the anime globally with a November 4th release planned. They have a premiere in New York planned for October 6th to go alongside New York Comic Con; further highlighting the current rise in popularity the franchise has been showing in the last few months.

    RED is directed by Goro Taniguchi, who has quite a history with the franchise, and was written by Tsutomu Kuroiwa who also worked on the film Gold. The premiere will include a subtitled and dubbed version for those that prefer one version over the other. So far, the 15th entry in the franchise is the highest grossing of the franchise and has already taken in $93M in Japan since it premiered back on August 6th.

    Interestingly enough, France was the only other market to also join in with an early release as it’s also one of the biggest markets for the popular manga franchise. It has managed to outsell Batman‘s total lifetime comic sales within 25 years worldwide and doesn’t have the same popularity in the US as Dragonball or even Naruto. So, with the upcoming live-action series in development for Netflix, it looks like it has the potential to grow even further.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Cap 4’ Director Reveals Production Timeline for the Sequel

    ‘Cap 4’ Director Reveals Production Timeline for the Sequel

    Captain America: New World Order made some big waves at D23 Expo 2022. Director Julius Onah was officially introduced alongside the principal cast which included newcomer Shira Haas as Israeli hero Sabra and Tim Blake Nelson as the film’s primary adversary, The Leader. With the film only having been announced a few months prior, the cast reveals were a pleasant surprise and gave fans an idea of what Anthony Mackie’s Captain America and his supporting characters such as Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres and Carl Lumbly’s Isaiah Bradley would be up against.

    Lost in the shuffle of the big news, however, was an update from Onha as to when production on the film, which is currently set to hit theaters on May 3rd, 2024, would begin. In an interview with Phase Zero, Onah indicated that the film is on track for a Spring 2023 start of production.

    The Spring start may show Marvel Studios trending back towards a more familiar production timeline than what they’ve been on since COVID shut down everything in 2020. In the past, it was the norm for a Marvel Studios film to begin principal photography an average of 13 months before the release of the film. From Onah’s comments, it sounds like that’s just about right for Captain America: New World Order. With 6-8 months to go until the start of production, fans can continue to look forward to casting news and to look for links to the plot of the film in current and upcoming projects.

    Source: Phase Zero