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  • Leaked Set Pics Provide First Look at ‘Fallout’

    Leaked Set Pics Provide First Look at ‘Fallout’

    Production on Amazon Prime’s adaptation of the post-apocalyptic video game franchise, Fallout, is underway and if some new set photos are any indication, it’s going to at least look incredible.

    A group of new set photos show an impressive fallout shelter has been constructed practically for the series. Fans of the game will certainly appreciate the attention to detail found around the set. Fallout was developed by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan with  Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner serving as showrunners. Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell have been cast as series leads, which is expected to stream sometime in 2023.

  • Five Cases We’d Love She-Hulk to Litigate in the MCU

    Five Cases We’d Love She-Hulk to Litigate in the MCU

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is set to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first foray into legal comedy. And in typical procedural fashion, there will most likely be a new court case every episode or two. With that being said, here are 5 potential court cases that Jennifer Walters, a.k.a. She-Hulk, could litigate in her Disney+ series or any of her future appearances in the MCU. Dun-Dun!

    Case #1: Rhodes v. Hammer

    This is something that’s been done in the comics, but it could be a lot of fun in the MCU. Especially because, while they constantly like to hint at its existence, they’ve never really explored in-universe superhero merchandising to its fullest potential. In the comics, Kingpin owns the merchandising rights to Spider-Man. While Kingpin and Spider-Man wouldn’t be the right characters to do this with here, there is a different hero that’s been on the Avengers, whose enemy could realistically take over their merchandising rights. Honestly, it could actually be really fun to have Justin Hammer purchase the merchandising rights for War Machine.

    There could be a Stark Industries fire-sale where Justin Hammer manages to scrounge together some money to secure the rights to sell merchandise based on the War Machine. Hammer can go all out on running the property into the ground, all the while making a huge profit. Rhodes can reach out to She-Hulk for help going up against Hammer in court, suing to get the War Machine merchandising rights back. However, Hammer can retort, claiming that it was he who created the War Machine to begin with. Most of the design choices of the War Machine suit were his, as Rhodes and Stark were using a plain old Iron Man suit. Therefore, they would not be selling War Machine merchandise without Hammer in the first place. It could be a lot of fun.

    Case #2: The Innocent Bystander

    Remember in Doctor Strange when, after discovering that the Hong Kong Sanctum had fallen, Strange uses the Time Stone to reverse time? Well, it could be funny to see a civilian who was brought back to life after being killed in the Hong Kong Sanctum attack try to collect his own life insurance, since he technically died. Now, this guy can be well-meaning and have good intentions. Maybe he is down on his luck and needs some money. So, he goes to She-Hulk with a brilliant idea: he is going to sue his insurance company, making the case that even though he is alive now, he did die, so they should give him his life insurance money. It’s something that could even be further examined with those that disappeared as part of the snap, only to come back and find their lives had forever changed.

    Case #3: Crimes of the Widows

    A black widow needs to prove that she was under mind-control when she committed a murder. Mind-control has been a fixture of the MCU since Phase 1, with characters such as Bucky Barnes and Hawkeye being forced to carry out horrible acts while under another’s command. This could be a great opportunity to examine whether or not someone should be held responsible for crimes they’ve committed while under mind-control; something the MCU has never fully acknowledged. While this could also work with Bucky, it would probably be best suited for a black widow, since there’s not really a lot of record of what they’ve done, making it easier for different crimes and assassinations to be pinned on them.

    One black widow could be forced to stand trial for a murder they committed while under mind-control, and She-Hulk would have to come up with a way to prove this to the jury, as well as convince them that she should not be held responsible. Bucky could be brought in to testify as a character witness, explaining how mind-control works. She-Hulk could even mind-control an unconvinced member of the jury; a fun way to persuade them that mind-control is real.

    Case #4: What Makes a God?

    After an Asgardian breaks a local law, She-Hulk could defend them on the basis that you cannot sue a “god.” This would be a great opportunity to explore the nature of “godhood” in the MCU, especially after Thor: Love and Thunder failed to really examine what makes an Asgardian – or any other “deity” in the MCU for that matter – a “god.” Maybe the Asgardians can be a little more sympathetic in this situation. Perhaps the Roxxon Energy Corporation wants to force the Asgardians off of New Asgard so they can dig for oil. She-Hulk can defend the Asgardians and their land, claiming that wherever they are currently is technically sacred ground because they are all “gods” of a religion that did use to exist. There is plenty of room for them to play around with this concept.

    Case #5: Hammer v. Stern

    Justin Hammer sues to get out of jail, making the case that he was manipulated by Hydra member Senator Stern. There should be more Justin Hammer in the MCU, so why not throw him into She-Hulk: Attorney at Law? And this one’s interesting because Hammer was working with Senator Stern, played by Garry Shandling in Iron Man 2. They were on the same side and the Senator seemed to be propping Hammer up. And it turns out that the Senator was working for Hydra. Now, it’s unclear if everyone working for Stern was part of Hydra, how many people knew about this, or if Hammer even knew about this at the time. However, Hammer can use this as an opportunity to get the charges on him dropped in the process, putting what remains as one of the MCU’s biggest unanswered questions to rest.

    Justin Hammer can say that Stern, being a member of Hydra, tricked him into unwillingly participating in Hydra activity, by convincing him that stopping Tony Stark was the right thing to do for the country. Hammer can claim that he didn’t know Stern was a secret evil Hydra Nazi, but ultimately, he was using this as the grounds for why he should be released from jail. Hammer is able to BS his way through the legal system, but She-Hulk can advise that part of the condition of his release be that there needs to be an Avenger looking after him. She appoints Rhodey as his custodian, which could perfectly set up Justin Hammer’s return and play out in Armor Wars.

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on Disney+ August 18, 2022.

  • REVIEW: ‘She-Hulk’ Is Marvel Studios’ ’30 Rock’

    REVIEW: ‘She-Hulk’ Is Marvel Studios’ ’30 Rock’

    Even as Marvel Studios approached Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe did not feel as grandiosely populated as it should have been. Franchises were siloed into their respective corners until they were called to unite while the granular civilian world of the MCU was all but forgotten. The MCU felt only reserved for its mightiest heroes and never the people living in it. In comes She-Hulk, a show that not only blasts the doors wide open by introducing a cavalcade of weirdos and superpowered kooks but a show that examines the impact of superhumans on its denizens. She-Hulk, in many ways, recontextualizes the U in MCU, instilling it with new meaning and giving audiences a new perspective on it. 

    At the heart of the show is lawyer Jennifer Walters, the hapless cousin of Bruce Banner who gets gamma-radiated after a bizarre car accident. When an attack on the courthouse forces her to use her newfound Hulk powers, Walters turns into an overnight sensation. The limelight quickly nets her a job as the face of the superhuman law division in a prestigious law firm. One would think that Walters’ connection to her cousin would make her a perfect fit but when her own celebrity gets in the way of the job, things don’t go as planned. 

    Whereas The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Moon Knight are executed as 6-hour films, She-Hulk is one of the few Marvel Studios television shows to embrace the episodic format of the medium. Part-courtroom comedy and part-slice-of-life, episodes range from Wong suing a hacky magician for misappropriating the sling ring to She-Hulk’s firm prosecuting a shapeshifting Light Elf for catfishing a playboy. Head writer Jessica Gao displays a deep reverence for the sheer absurdity of living in a world populated by superheroes, examining heightened daily life while lampooning its blunders. Gao’s script is self-referential and keys heavily into present-day zeitgeist, reflecting the same comedic sensibilities as a culturally meta show like 30 Rock as it lampoons corporate culture, celebrity, influencers, and social media.

    This coincidentally makes Liz Lemon and Jennifer Walters unlikely kindred spirits. Socially inept dweebs that have to navigate the corporate ladder and the insanity that comes with their profession. The ever brilliant Tatiana Maslany wields her wit with a gangly finesse that endears Jennifer Walters to every superhero faux pas she encounters. She’s never the coolest person in the room and she knows it. But like Tina Fey, Maslany’s wit and timing make her the funniest in the room in unexpected ways. The result is a Jennifer Walters that is goofy yet tenacious in her footing.

    That Maslany succeeds in being funny is a feat on its own given how the breadth of her performance is at the behest of the VFX. She-Hulk has the disadvantage of being a painstakingly difficult character to bring to life. The show itself ends up being a dangerous tightrope act that threatens to fall into the uncanny valley, which it inevitably does from time to time. Director Kat Coiro struggles to find a visual identity for the show and often captures She-Hulk’s zany world through vapid TV lenses. This does the VFX team no favors as the She-Hulk model looks its worst in Coiro’s blandest compositions. The uncanny valley is most discernible in the office scenes, where plastic static walls and bright skylines glare in the frame. Nonetheless, the show’s VFX department does the commendable and thankless job of bringing the character to life. Their work begins to seamlessly blend into the world once the show begins to reach its farthest corners of its storytelling. There are fight sequences featuring Hulk and Wong that look plucked out of an Avengers film.

    For a show that constantly pats itself on the back for its revolving door of exciting supporting character cameos, She-Hulk falls short of giving its own ensemble its legs to stand on. Ginger Gonzaga and Josh Segarra play Walters’ co-workers, Nikki and Pug respectively, and they aren’t given much to do. Despite the show insisting she’s She-Hulk’s best friend, Nikki barely feels like a character. There’s no sense of depth to their friendship nor does there seem to be any significant history between the two. Gonzaga pulls her weight in giving the character a semblance of life but the show’s in media res framing and focus on the larger cameos robs her of any real development. Pug, on the other hand, might as well not exist. Hot off the heels of Ms. Marvel, a show that features an ensemble whose characters are deserving of their spin-off, this is an unfortunate shortcoming.

    Perhaps the show’s biggest strength is the trove of cameos and easter eggs that lord over each episode. She-Hulk does the incredible job of shouldering the granular world-building that many of the films and other TV shows have neglected to do. Superpowered characters that wouldn’t have otherwise existed in concurrent MCU efforts are proudly ushered in the show. Loose ends from films are purposefully referenced and examined in through the lens of the everyday civilian. Depending on one’s tolerance for cross-pollination, this may be a huge detriment to the show but to MCU fans longing for a more immersive look into the world, this show is a fever dream.

    Ultimately, She-Hulk‘s meta-humor and wildly episodic case-of-the-week nature are sure to give viewers a refreshing change of pace. Imperfect VFX be damned, this show hilariously encapsulates the sheer insanity of the Marvel universe.

  • Alison Brie Wants to Play a Marvel Villain

    Alison Brie Wants to Play a Marvel Villain

    Actress Alison Brie has made a name for herself among fans through her charismatic and varied roles in projects like Community, GLOW, and Mad Men. Her popularity naturally leads to many wondering if or when the actress might make a jump into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the lead-up to Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Brie has opened up about her desire to join the MCU.

    Years ago, early She-Hulk news reported that the series sought an “Alison Brie-type” as the titular character. Obviously, the role ended up going to Tatiana Maslany, but the idea of Brie in the MCU did not die with that casting. The actress has collaborated with Marvel as a filmmaker for Marvel’s 616 and will be voicing a role in the animated Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. But when asked by Comicbook.com if Brie had her eye on any live-action character, the actress mentioned that her fantasy is playing a villain:

    Nothing specifically that I have set my sights on, no, and I think that would be a mistake, because clearly you can’t really dictate. Marvel’s going to do their thing, as they should. I think there’s a fantasy deep in my mind that one day I would get to play a great Marvel villain, but I don’t know which one that would be. People, fans, send me some ideas so I can start the campaign.

    Alison Brie

    While the actress made it clear that there are no characters or projects she is setting her sights on—or at least none that she is willing to share—it seems likely that Marvel Studios would be interested in having Brie join the MCU in some capacity. Whether the studio would want her for a superhero, like She-Hulk, or a supervillain as the actress hopes for is unclear. With the entireties of Phases 5 and 6 to play out, including several unannounced projects, fans may find out where Brie does or does not fit within the MCU in the relatively near future.

    Source: Comicbook.com

  • Jordan Elsass Exits ‘Superman and Lois,’ Jon Kent to Be Recast

    Jordan Elsass Exits ‘Superman and Lois,’ Jon Kent to Be Recast

    The days of the Arrowverse look to finally be coming to an end as only a handful of shows remain, with The Flash, the longest running of the current series set to make a speedy exit with Season 9. Superman and Lois is one of the newest and few surviving DC series left on the CW and it’s unknown just what its fate will be with the shakeups at Warner Brothers Discovery. However, while its future remains unclear, it seems the series has some more immediate issues to consider as one of the show’s leads looks to have made an unannounced exit. 

    Deadline reports that Superman and Lois star Jordan Elsass will be leaving the series in the upcoming third season, with the role of Jon Kent set to be recast. There is currently no word on who will be playing the son of Clark and Lois but with filming looking to kick off soon, it might not be long before news breaks. It is unknown as to why the Elsass is leaving the series with the only details being provided were that is was due to a “personal matter.” Elsass reportedly did not return to Vancouver by the deadline given to cast and crew ahead of the start of production on the third season. 

    “Jordan Elsass has notified the Studio that he will not be returning to Superman & Lois for season three due to personal reasons. The role of Jonathan Kent will be recast”

    Warner Bros. TV

    Elsass played a very different version of his comic book counterpart, showing no signs of having Kryptonian abilities like his father and brother. Elsass himself has yet to release an official statement regarding his sudden departure from the series.

    SOURCE: Deadline

  • ‘She-Hulk’s Head Writer Teases Abomination’s Original Multi-Episode Trial

    ‘She-Hulk’s Head Writer Teases Abomination’s Original Multi-Episode Trial

    Any project goes through various drafts before the camera ever start rollinig. Sometimes things come together as the original pitch is being reworked or when other writers offer input to further develop these projects. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law‘s head writer, Jessica Gao, reveals that she always had planned to include Emili Blonsky in some form, but reveals he originally had a bigger role early on.

    My pitch for the show is pretty close to the show that you’re watching. All the kind of key foundational elements were there: Emil Blonsky/Abomination was always in the pitch. Bruce was always in the pitch. I didn’t know if I could use them. I didn’t know what their relationship was to Abomination anymore. But I thought, you know what? This is what I want — so I’ll just pitch it. Thankfully, they liked all of it.

    Jessica Gao

    It does seem like not too much changed from the original pitch, yet she goes on to highlight that Blonsky’s trial was changed the most, as it originally was going to take part across multiple episodes before they realized the difficulty of keeping a trial interesting for that long.

    When I went in, it definitely skewed a lot more heavily towards Blonsky’s trial. In my original pitch, it was an actual trial and it spanned multiple episodes. When we got into the writers’ room, inevitably things change as you’re developing the show and as you start writing. And one thing that we all realized very slowly was none of us are that adept at writing, you know, rousing trial scenes.

    Jessica Gao

    Now, there’s already a reaction to this honesty from Gao downplaying the value they brought to creating a law comedy. She’s not saying they couldn’t bring together a lawyer show but rather that they were likely struggling to keep the Abomination trial interesting across multiple episodes. Poor wording does make it look rather negative which is easy bait for the usual online discourse.

    Plus, it would’ve restricted them in a corner so they rather focused on their strengths, a show that’s more about a persona balancing their life who happens to be a superhero and lawyer. An important lesson here: always play to your strengths rather than forcing something.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘One Piece Film: RED’ Becomes Franchise’s Highest-Grossing Film in Just 10 Days

    ‘One Piece Film: RED’ Becomes Franchise’s Highest-Grossing Film in Just 10 Days

    Now that’s quite the record. It seems that One Piece Film: RED has already become the highest-grossing film in its cinematic counterpart within just 10 days. Eiichiro Oda‘s iconic manga is no stranger to releasing films and it seems that the return of Shanks has led to the latest entry overtaking One Piece Film Z‘s position in a record time.

    The film’s official Twitter has shared that it already passed 5 million tickets sold and earned around 7 billion yen, which is equivalent to $52.9M. to put that in perspective, Z managed to pull in 6.87M during its run back in 2012. There is speculation that the film’s use of music and topping worldwide charts helped boost the film’s popularity. It’s also not available in all international markets, which will also add to its growth and we’ll see just how big the franchise with a live-action adaptation on the way from Netflix and Tomorrow Studios.

    Of course, there’s also the fact that this sees the return of fan-favorite Shanks in a much bigger role than he’s probably had throughout the entire series’ 25-year run. The announcement of One Piece entering its final saga definitely also shook some fans to their core given just how long it has been going. Perhaps the timing was perfect. As of now, the film is likely going to make around 15 billion yen, which would be ahead of Jujutsu Kaisen 0‘s run but it does seem unlikely it’ll pass Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.

    Source: Crunchyroll

  • Latest Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Castings Hint at Syrup Village Arc

    Latest Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Castings Hint at Syrup Village Arc

    It looks like some small news is trickling out for the live-action Netflix adaptation of One Piece. Matt Owens and Steve Maeda have been busy bringing one of manga’s most iconic stories to life. with the uncertainty surrounding past adaptations, it’s no wonder that some are cautiously optimistic but the set videos and castings have been quite promising. We knew that a shorter runtime would lead to fewer stories being included but it does seem like we’re definitely going to get a flashback for Usopp and the iconic battle of Syrup Village.

    As first shared by @OP_Netflix_Fan first, actress Bianca Oosthuizen has seemingly revealed that she will be taking on the role of Sham, a member of the Kuroneko Pirates. The character might not be as memorable as the many others we meet along the Strawhat’s voyage, but it definitely confirms that we’ll see the Kuroneko pirates make their live-action debut in the series. That is not all, as Chanté Grainger has also seemingly been confirmed as Usopp’s mother, Banchina.

    It should be noted that Oosthuizen also notes that she worked on an episode directed by Emma Sullivan. This reveal adds an interesting question, as we know that she was responsible for the Baratie episode as well. It does seemingly hint that these two arcs may take up an episode each. We don’t know if Baratie could also get split up into two episodes due to how much it covers but we’ll probably have to wait quite a bit longer before we find out.

    As such, it’s safe to say that Syrup Village will be given some time during the show’s runtime. It does make you wonder how they might adapt some elements of Usopp’s origin and how he joins the crew, as it’s one of the lesser liked arcs in the storyline. Still, their addition does keep us tied until we get some more official news whenever we get our next major casting announcement for some big roles.

    Source: Pursch Artistes, Spotlight

  • ‘She-Hulk’: Mark Ruffalo Teases Tatiana Maslany’s Return in Next ‘Avengers’ Film

    ‘She-Hulk’: Mark Ruffalo Teases Tatiana Maslany’s Return in Next ‘Avengers’ Film

    We’re only a few days away from Tatiana Maslany premiering as She-Hulk on her new Disney+ series. She’ll be joined by Mark Ruffalo‘s return as Hulk, who has been a fixture throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s runtime. It seemed like a no-brainer that he’d continue to keep the role alive and maybe even appear in a future Avengers film, but he has now accidentally also confirmed that Tatiana Maslany is definitely going to appear in the one of the two upcoming Avenger movies.

    He doesn’t really give away which one it’ll be, but he goes on to highlight that “there’s not going to be another Avengers without her,” which would hint at a potential return to the role in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty that will release in 2025. There’s also the already confirmed sequel of Secret Wars which is set to follow just a few months later; though things can always change until then.

    It’s fun how Mark Ruffalo continues to stay true to his leaking ways. Almost a shame Tom Holland wasn’t around to help him and add a few more casting confirmations. Still, it does make sense that they’d set her up to return in an upcoming project like Avengers. We might even see her in other shows, as introducing a heroic lawyer does open up many ways of bringing her into the fold. Whatever the case might be, the MCU is continuing to open up in interesting ways.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Directors to Tackle Big Thunder Mountain Movie for Disney

    ‘Hawkeye’ Directors to Tackle Big Thunder Mountain Movie for Disney

    The theme park adaptations continue as Disney has set their eyes on bringing the classic attraction of Big Thunder Mountain to life. Not only that, it seems they already have two directors attached, which are Bert and Bertie. They’ve both recently worked with the House of Mouse on the Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye series, where they offered some of the series’ best.

    They are also set to write the script with Scott Free and LuckyChap Entertainment in a producing role. It’ll create a story around the 1979 Disneyland ride, which is set to have a new version released. It features a mine cart ride through a mining town on the search for gold, it is probably one of their most iconic theme park rides to date.

    There isn’t a word exactly on how they will try to wrap a story around this simple premise, but the studio has done it before. Pirates of the Caribbean is definitely the standout franchise from this theme park adaptation wave, but they also recently had a hit with Jungle Cruise and are working on another attempt at The Haunted Mansion. It’ll be interesting to see how they’ll bring the project to life and what Bert & Bertie bring to the table of this adaptation.

    Source: Deadline