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  • ‘Joker: Folie A Deux’ Nabs 2024 Release Date

    ‘Joker: Folie A Deux’ Nabs 2024 Release Date

    While Warner Bros. Discovery continues to re-evaluate HBO Max and the projects being developed for the streaming service, the studio is moving full steam ahead on the theatrical front. Deadline has reported that the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie a Deux has nabbed an official release date. The film will be hitting theaters on Oct. 4th, 2024.

    The news comes a day after Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would be shelving the nearly complete Batgirl, which was meant to hit theaters next year. That project was said to be shelved as a tax write-off after the studio felt it wasn’t enough of an event film. The October 4th date was originally being held by Warner Bros. Discovery for an untitled DC event film, so the news isn’t entirely surprising. The first film managed to surprise with $96.2 million when it opened in October before going on to earn $1.07 billion at the box office – making it the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

    While Joker 2 was in development prior to the merger, it managed to avoid being canceled because the studio viewed the film and director Todd Phillips as a good way forward for its DC films. In fact, back in June, reports suggested Phillips was being considered to help guide DC and Warner Bros Discovery. It remains to be seen whether or not that ends up being the case.

    Production on Joker: Folie a Deux is expected to kick off this December. Leading man Joaquin Phoenix returns as the Joker, while Lady Gaga is reportedly in talks to portray Harley Quinn in the film that is being described as a musical. Todd Phillips co-wrote the sequel with Scott Silver and will return as the director.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Tatiana Maslany Teases She-Hulk and Daredevil’s Dynamic in Disney+ Series

    Tatiana Maslany Teases She-Hulk and Daredevil’s Dynamic in Disney+ Series

    Disney has been busy today promoting its upcoming project during this summer’s TCA, and one of the panels was for the upcoming She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series. While they naturally didn’t reveal any information bout the show’s plots or characters, they did give a hint at what we can expect from the dynamic between Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk and the return of an in-costume Daredevil.

    Charlie Cox‘s return is something many are excited about and it was naturally the first question asked. While they couldn’t give away any details, Kat Coiro, the director of the She-Hulk series, teased the dynamic between the two unlikely allies. It seems that we can expect them to “match wits” throughout their time on screen together. Here’s the full quote as shared by Brett White from the event:

    https://twitter.com/brettwhite/status/1554901965494276096

    His return is definitely something many are looking forward to and with Disney+’s growing streaming base and offerings, we’re excited to see what their future also has in store. Cox had his fair share of great lines in the Netflix series and it’ll be great to see him carry over that dynamic going into his new Disney+ run, also setting up his characterization in the upcoming projects.

    Source: Twitter

  • Ranking the ‘Predator’ Movies From Worst to Best

    Ranking the ‘Predator’ Movies From Worst to Best

    With Prey‘s release reviving the Predator franchise, it’s the perfect time to take a look back and rank the entries in the franchise that we all hold dearly. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at how the various entries rank from 1986 to today.

    7. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

    A sequel to an already weak spin-off wouldn’t have many chances of turning out any good, to begin with, and AVP: Requiem certainly fits the part. It doesn’t work as a Predator movie and it certainly doesn’t work as an Alien movie. The end result is so much less than the sum of both its parts that it is almost embarrassing how such iconic franchises would come together to provide such a lackluster idea of a movie.

    6. The Predator (2018)

    A prime example of how to go bigger just for the sake of going bigger without adding much to what made the initial Predator concept work so well. By having a new genetically enhanced Predator (a.k.a. Upgrade Predator), Predator hounds, and a few other standard innovations the movie quickly turns into a generic action feature with little regard for the subtleness and the Hunter vs Prey vs Hunter x-factor of the franchise.

    5. Alien vs. Predator (2004)

    The first installment of the AVP spin-off series introduces a few interesting concepts while trying to bring the two franchises together both through previously mentioned characters (Alien‘s Charles Bishop Weyland) and ideas (Predators hunting xenomorphs introduced in Predator 2). Even so, it show’s its hand way too soon, mostly disregarding the tension provided by the stealthiness and furtiveness that was a major staple of both its titular character’s series.

    4. Predators (2010)

    The concept of introducing humans into an alien game preserve jungle planet is an interesting one but it could have been pushed a bit further since it only seemed to be used to justify the eclectic group of characters and the lack of outside interference. Still, it manages to provide a few remarkable sequences while expanding on the Predator mythos.

    3. Predator 2 (1990)

    With the best opening sequence of the entire franchise, Predator 2 brought its titular character into the concrete jungle of near-future Los Angeles. The change of pace was a bold yet remarkable choice as the Predator’s brutality managed to fit right into a dystopian society where Jamaican and Colombian drug lords ruled over the city while the police just stood by and watched. It proved to be the stepping stone for both the AVP spin-offs (the xenomorph skull) and 2022’s Prey (the flintlock pistol from 1715).

    2. Predator (1987)

    An all-time classic with all the 80s action movie clichés that you can think of. Still, the movie works on a number of levels, with the authenticity given to it by the real-life backdrop of the Mexican jungle and the incredible prosthetics developed by master Stan Winston being two of the highlights. The now iconic theme was composed by Alan Silvestri (who later went on to write The Avengers theme).

    1. Prey (2022)

    This choice might suffer from recency bias but it could also be fair to say that looking back at the original Predator might trigger an emotional response from fans. Going back to the basics and the beautiful simplicity that made the original Predator grab the viewer and not let go until the credits rolled, Prey manages to outdo its predecessor by instilling the franchise with its best cinematography yet but most importantly with the most satisfying character journey of the entire series.

    Check out our review here.

  • Zosia Mamet Joins ‘Madame Web’

    Zosia Mamet Joins ‘Madame Web’

    The cast for the upcoming Madame Web solo film is by far one of the most intriguing things about it, with names such as Dakota Johnson, Emma Roberts, Isabela Merced, and Sydney Sweeney rounding out the cast. Production on the film is currently underway but it seems to cast on the project isn’t over quite yet as Deadline is reporting that Zosia Mamet is joining the cast of the upcoming Sony Marvel film.

    Mamet is joining the film in yet another undisclosed role within the film, with the film still shrouded in a mystery as we have yet to hear just who anyone in the film will be playing. It’s speculated that the lead, Dakota Johnson, could be playing the role of Julia Carpenter, the second Madame Webb, after being spotted on set sporting a very familiar red leather jacket.

    Madame Webb will be the franchise’s first female protagonist and one of the next entries in the Sony universe of Marvel characters, set to release following Kraven The Hunter in 2023. The original character in the comics was known as Cassandra Webb, who confided to a spider-web-shaped life support machine. Webb was blind and had psychic abilities and clairvoyance that allowed her to watch over the Spider-Verse and was a key part of the original comic event.

    Madame Webb is currently set to hit theaters on October 6th, 2023, and will be directed by S.J. Clarkson who previously worked on Marvel series like The Defenders and Jessica Jones for Netflix.

    Source: Deadline

  • HBO Max May No Longer Produce Scripted Shows, 70% Layoffs Expected

    HBO Max May No Longer Produce Scripted Shows, 70% Layoffs Expected

    The news surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery continues to ramp up. Not only did they shelve two almost finished projects with a combined cost of $130M but also decided to just shelve around six films from HBO Max that were original productions. Now, more details are finding their way online on what exactly is happening and the future of the streaming service is starting to look quite grim.

    HBO Max was quite the promising streaming service in the market and had the potential to rival both Netflix and Disney+ in its growth. Now, it seems that the future plans are to combine HBO Max and Disccovery+ into a brand new service. As a result, they are removing shows and movies that didn’t perform well (questioning what standard that exactly is) as partial tax write-offs. Yes, more projects are likely going to silently vanish from the streaming service.

    The only way that taxable income can be written off is by removing it from distribution, which also means we won’t see a future digital release; similar to what happened to Batgirl. They also seem to want to streamline their service to not overwhelm audiences with choices, a common complaint surrounding Netflix, but it may come at the cost for original productions.

    The plan seems to be to roll scripted shows with HBO to reduce redundancies between the two offerings. 70% of their current staff may be cut which is a massive movement by CEO David Zaslav and likely leave a very bitter taste in the industry. It’s unclear when they might clarify what exactly their future plans will be, but right now it seems that scorched earth is their internal strategy.

    Source: IndieWire, The Wrap

  • Ryan Reynolds Seemingly Starts Getting in Shape for ‘Deadpool 3’

    Ryan Reynolds Seemingly Starts Getting in Shape for ‘Deadpool 3’

    It’s a Deadpool kind of day, as we’ve been getting some bits and pieces on the upcoming third entry, such as Zazie Beets playing coy on if we can expect her return as Domino. Now Don Saladino has shared a few photos of him getting Ryan Reynolds in shape for an upcoming project. In his comments, he includes a red and two katanas, which definitely continues to push the notion that Deadpool 3 is happening sooner rather than later. While it wasn’t included in any of the Phase announcements, it may still take on the blank positions in Phase 6.

    Reynolds starting to prepare for the upcoming project is definitely a good sign that something is on the horizon. Perhaps D23 is where we’ll get an official announcement and even some insight into what exactly Phase 6 will be all about. They seemingly surprised us with how much they revealed during San Diego Comic-con and who knows what else might be heading our way with Disney+ Day and a Disney-owned event on the horizon.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Director Teases How Daredevil Fits Into Series

    ‘She-Hulk’ Director Teases How Daredevil Fits Into Series

    She-Hulk is about to make her big debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and she won’t be alone when she does it. Mark Ruffalo will star in the series alongside Tatiana Maslany, reprising his role as Dr. Bruce Banner from previous Marvel entries, acting as Jennifer Walters’ cousin and mentor. Yet, Ruffalo is still not the co-star fans are most excited to see when She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on August 18th. Charlie Cox was finally confirmed to be returning as Matt Murdock, a.k.a. the blind vigilante Daredevil, at San Diego Comic-Con, and has since become one of the project’s most talked about aspects online.

    In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, series director Kat Coiro discussed the character’s inclusion and what a relief it’s been for the information to be public. While Coiro couldn’t reveal much about Daredevil’s time on the series, she did crack a joke about how perfectly he fit into the world of She-Hulk as both a fellow lawyer and superhero:

    Can I tell you how excited I was when the audience was able to see that and I realized that I did not have to keep that secret anymore? Yes, Daredevil is in the show. I mean, how can you have a legal comedy and not have Daredevil come into it?

    Kat Coiro

    Head writer Jessica Gao previously mentioned the writers thought Marvel’s approval of Daredevil in the series was a prank, and Coiro‘s excitement seems to sell that comment as being true. Continuing to elaborate, the director explained how Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters interact as equals, and referred to Daredevil as the expected “crowd favorite” of the show:

    They match each other’s wits, is what I can say. I am definitely excited for Daredevil to make his appearance, because I think he’s going to be a crowd favorite. But I can’t tell you anything else about that. The Marvel police is a real thing and I don’t want to get arrested by them

    Kat Coiro

    It’s not currently known how much Daredevil will actually be present in the show’s runtime, but the trailer tease and the constant hype coming from the project’s creative team at least indicate his appearance will be special. Even if the Man Without Fear is only in a single episode, fans still have Echo and Daredevil: Born Again to look forward to on Disney+.

    Source: EW

  • ‘John Wick’ Director Had Discussions With Marvel Studios to Tackle ‘Blade’

    ‘John Wick’ Director Had Discussions With Marvel Studios to Tackle ‘Blade’

    The John Wick franchise has been nothing but successful for Lionsgate and filmmaker Chad Stahelski. After spending years as a stunt coordinator and second unit director on various projects, Stahelski received his big break helming the Wick films, which launched him into stardom and helped rejuvenate Keanu Reeves’ career.

    Apparently, the series also earned Stahelski a meeting with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, whom he’d worked with before as the second unit on Captain America: Civil War, as stated by Stahelski during a recent interview with Comic Book. According to the director, Feige set up some time for a chat that meant a lot more than the producer might have realized:

    Marvel was very influential in my career. I owe them a great deal. Kevin [Feige] is an awesome guy and I’ve worked for him many times on second unit. After John Wick 3, he was nice enough to carve out a big chunk of time and have a nice talk. He’s been a…in a way…a very strong mentor, even though it was a short period of time. I’ve only talked to him a few times, but he has been very influential in mindset and how to do it.

    Chad Stahelski

    While the meeting seems to have been a general one, Stahelski revealed that Feige did inquire about signing him to a future project. Stahelski apparently only had one in mind:

    And he actually asked me, ‘What could we ever do?’ I was like, ‘Look, I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t know if I fit that kind of studio mold, but Blade would be the one interesting thing I’d like to do. I don’t know if I would’ve been the best choice for that in the direction they wanted to go. If you want to do the edgy rated R version, yeah, give me a call. If you want to be non-apologetic, yeah. That’s me. But I think they’re protecting their brand, they’re doing their thing. The individual they selected, I think is a very good director, and I think will do a great job in the direction that I think they want to take the property.

    Chad Stahelski

    Blade, which was announced in 2019 with Mahershala Ali attached to the starring role, is now set to be directed by Bassam Tariq and will release on November 3rd, 2023. The Mogul Mowgli creative will bring to life a script from Stacy Osei-Kuffour, with Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre having since joined the cast. Stahelski, on the other hand, is busy preparing for John Wick: Chapter 4 to drop on March 24th, 2023.

    He has yet to direct anything outside the John Wick franchise, but perhaps his meeting with Marvel Studios will open the door for something else down the line. After all, there is no shortage of opportunities in Marvel’s plans for the next decade.

    Source: Comic Book

  • BREAKING: ‘She-Hulk’ Gets a New Release Date in the Same Week

    BREAKING: ‘She-Hulk’ Gets a New Release Date in the Same Week

    It looks like Marvel Studios is getting a new release slot, or at least She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is. In the latest promo for the upcoming Disney+ series, it was revealed that it won’t be released on August 17th but on August 18th instead. This is the first time a Marvel project will release on Thursday since Loki set the new Wednesday standard. It seems like they are starting to experiment and have learned their lesson with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ms. Marvel being overshadowed due to two of their biggest franchises releasing on the same day.

    Andor was already pushed back by three weeks making many think they may have done so to give She-Hulk some leg room, but it may also be just to give that show some time. They are testing out the release window with Thursday and potentially set up whatever release date will belong to what franchise. Friday’s already became their film release window and it’s always great to see streaming services adapt over time.

    She-Hulk is one of Marvel Studios’ most ambitious shows, as it will introduce a fully CG character as its lead, who will be on screen for a considerable amount of time. While reactions to the CG early on have been a bit questionable, the recent teases have shown that the work has improved quite a bit and it does continue to look like they are embracing more unique concepts with these shows. With Daredevil: Born Again breaking the six-episode structure, we might be seeing Marvel Studios taking its lessons moving forward.

    Source: Twitter

  • Zazie Beetz Plays Coy on Possible ‘Deadpool 3’ Return

    Zazie Beetz Plays Coy on Possible ‘Deadpool 3’ Return

    Zazie Beetz left her mark on the Marvel franchise when she appeared in Deadpool 2. The Atlanta actress portrayed Domino, a mutant mercenary and longtime comic book affiliate of Wade Wilson, in the well-received sequel project. She was introduced to the franchise alongside Josh Brolin‘s Cable, and before the merger of 20th Century Fox and Disney, many fans expected Beetz to reprise her role in the trilogy’s third installment. Now, with Deadpool 3 being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, pretty much everything aside from Ryan Reynolds‘ involvement is up in the air.

    Speaking with Variety at the premiere of her new film Bullet Train, Beetz was asked to comment on her potential future as Domino in Deadpool 3. Of course, the actress couldn’t really confirm anything, but her response felt far from an actual denial:

    It’s unknown how much of the Deadpool series’ storyline will carry over into the MCU, especially considering the concept of mutants is only just being realized in the franchise timeline. Luckily, Deadpool 3 could possibly fall within the ongoing “Multiverse Saga”, which would leave several doors open for performers like Beetz and Reynolds to enter the MCU from another dimension. After all, Domino does operate using the power to manipulate luck, so it’s entirely plausible that she has a hand in landing herself and the Merc with a Mouth in the multiverse’s most popular timeline.

    Deadpool 3 will be directed by Shawn Levy, from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and currently has no release date.

    Source: Variety