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  • ‘Jessica Jones’ Star Joins ‘Orphan Black’ Spinoff

    ‘Jessica Jones’ Star Joins ‘Orphan Black’ Spinoff

    Krysten Ritter has booked her next TV gig. The Jessica Jones actress will star in AMC’s Orphan Black follow-up, Orphan Black: Echoes, which is slated to hit the small screen sometime next year.

    Along with starring in the follow-up for AMC, Ritter will also executive produce the 10-episodes series. Echoes is set in the world of the original series, and will revolve around a group of women as they weave their way into each other’s lives, embarking on a thrilling journey that will unravel the mystery of their identity – all while uncovering a story of love and betrayal. Ritter will portray Lucy, a character that is described as trying to find her place in the world. Like with the original show’s star, Tatiana Maslany, who is now leading She-Hulk, Ritter will more than likely play multiple clones in the series.

    Orphan Black: Echoes was first announced as being picked up to series back in April. This marks the first casting announcement for the series. Anna Fishko (The Society) serves as Echoes‘s creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer. The original series was created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett, who will serve as co-showrunner on Echoes. Returning from the original series are Boat Rocker’s David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, who will executive produce alongside the company’s Katie O’Connell Marsh, Nick Nantell, and Kerry Appleyard.

    While a release date has not yet been announced, Orphan Black: Echoes is set for a 2023 release.

    Source: THR

  • Holt McCallany Accepts ‘Mission: Impossible’ Role

    Holt McCallany Accepts ‘Mission: Impossible’ Role

    Mindhunter actor Holt McCallany has signed on for a role in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part Two. The actor will play Secretary of Defense Bernstein. He joins Hayley Atwell, Shea Whigham and Pom Klementieff, who all star alongside leading man Tom Cruise.

    Part Two will serve as the eighth title in the hit franchise. Cruise returns as agent Ethan Hunt who leads his team on globe-trotting missions as a means to avert global disaster. Details regarding the film’s plot are sparse, but the film could potentially serve as the end of the franchise, although no decision looks to have been made as of yet. Christopher McQuarrie returns to direct the film from his own script after wrapping on Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One.

    McCallany starred as FBI Special Agent Bill Tench on Netflix’s critically acclaimed series Mindhunter. He currently stars in the AMC drama 61st Street alongside Courtney B. Vance, which has been renewed for a second season. Other credits on his resume include Lights Out, Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley and Blue Bloods. 

    The last Mission: Impossible film, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, earned $791 million at the worldwide box office back in 2018. Cruise can currently be seen on the big screen in Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, which continues to fly high at the box office after two months in release.

    Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part Two will hit theaters on June 28th, 2024.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios Director Takes Himself Out of the Running to Helm ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    Marvel Studios Director Takes Himself Out of the Running to Helm ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    Kevin Feige delighted and confused Marvel Studios’ fans with the announcement that Avengers: Secret Wars is targeting a November 2025 theatrical release. Though the project had been teased as early as June of 2021 in Season One of Loki, the debate about whether or not something on the scale of Secret Wars could be put together in less than a decade raged on amongst fans.

    That debate hasn’t ended with the announcement of the film, but some attention has been diverted to who might be directing Avengers: Secret Wars. When it was announced that Destin Daniel Cretton signed on to helm Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which will debut just six months before Avengers: Secret Wars, it was also revealed that Cretton was not on board for Secret Wars. It’s hardly uncommon for a Marvel Studios’ film that’s over 3 years away to be without a director, but for one of this magnitude, it’s become a talking point and most of the discussion seems to center on directors who have worked with Marvel Studios in the past.

    One such director, Scott Derrickson, who directed 2016’s Doctor Strange and served as an executive producer on Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness, has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but according to Derrickson, it’s not in the cards. When asked if there were any possibility of him landing the gig, Derrickson promptly replied with a GIF that provided a firm “NO” as an answer.

    https://twitter.com/scottderrickson/status/1552688255795171329

    If Derrickson is truly out of the running, the pool of candidates who have worked with Marvel Studios in the past is still pretty deep. While Feige has said the Russo brothers aren’t on board for the project, it had the “they aren’t on board YET” feel. Other candidates could include Ryan Coogler, Sam Raimi, Peyton Reed, Nia DaCosta and Jon Favreau, who while he’s been busy with Star Wars, could return for a project the size of Avengers: Secret Wars. And there’s no reason to close the door to directors who haven’t worked with the studio before, as a big project like this could attract the interest of some big names in the industry. Whoever they land, Marvel Studios could have an announcement as early as this September at their D23 presentation in Anaheim.

  • Kevin Feige on Marvel Studios’ New Outlook on Avengers Films

    Kevin Feige on Marvel Studios’ New Outlook on Avengers Films

    For the first decade of its existence, Marvel Studios rolled out an Avengers film every three years or so to signal the end of a Phase. Fans were treated to The Avengers in 2012, Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015 and then double-dipped with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame in 2018 and 2019. Endgame, of course, was the final film in what’s now known as The Infinity Saga, a long-form narrative told over the course of 23 films.

    Three years removed from the release of Endgame, Marvel Studios’ next phase is off and running and, in less than two years, has seen the release of more than half of what the studio did in the first eleven years. Thanks to the addition of in-universe streaming series on Disney Plus, Phase 4 is already 13 projects deep with two more coming in 2022 (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and 26 more scheduled from 2023 through 2025. As it stands, when Daredevil: Born Again releases on Disney Plus in the Spring of 2024, Marvel Studios’ post-Infinity Saga output will surpass what the studio released in its first 10 years, with 25 total projects released in just over 3 years (2021-24). None of those projects, however, will have been Avengers projects.

    At SDCC ’22, Marvel Studios head cheese Kevin Feige revealed the studio’s upcoming slate, which includes two upcoming Avengers films. With both of those films slated to hit theaters in 2025, fans are staring down a six-year stretch in between Avengers films, double what they’ve been accustomed to. Feige explained why the studio has broken free from the pattern they once set for themselves:

    The truth is, when we were doing Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3, there were less projects over more years. They were smaller projects and individual character stories, and it felt appropriate at that point, that after every two or three years that it took for a phase, we would do an ‘Avengers’ film. As [Phase] 4, 5 and 6 were coming together, there are more projects in less years – because of all the amazing stuff we’re now allowed to do on Disney+, and getting characters from Fox, Fantastic Four and Deadpool — that it felt like, certainly after ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame,’ that we thought ‘Avengers’ movies aren’t cappers. So many of our movies now — ‘Multiverse of Madness’ and what you’re about to see in [‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’], all are big team-up films introducing big parts of the mythology… ‘Avengers’ films really should be the capper to a saga.

    Kevin Feige

    Feige left a lot to unpack there, but the key points are that the increase in the number of productions, the ability to tell stories on Disney Plus, the addition of new properties via the Fox merger and the fact that the studio can use the already existing wealth of characters in team-up style films all helped the studio rethink what an Avengers film might need to be. Part of the allure of an Avengers film is seeing multiple heroes working together and that’s something that the studio can do in nearly every project they roll out these days, given that they have dozens of already established characters at their disposal. And so, at the end of the day, what it really means is that the Avengers films will feel like even bigger events than they did before with the ability for them to all include something on the scale of the final battle in Avengers: Endgame. For fans of Marvel Studios, that’s a prospect worth waiting to see on the screen.

    Source: Variety

  • Maris Abela in Talks to Portray Amy Winehouse in ‘Back to Black’

    Maris Abela in Talks to Portray Amy Winehouse in ‘Back to Black’

    The forthcoming Amy Winehouse biopic looks to be zeroing in on an Industry actor. Just weeks after confirming Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) will direct the film, Variety is reporting that newcomer Marisa Abela is in talks to portray the singer in Back to Black, although the outlet has noted a deal is not yet in place.

    Abela currently stars in the BBC drama Industry where she plays the privileged but troubled Yasmin Kara-Hanani. The series will return for its second season next month. Outside of Industry, Abela has starred in the Sky TV series COBRA and starred alongside James Norton in the film Rogue Agent. She’ll next be seen alongside Haley Bennett and Sam Riley in She is Love. She is also set to appear in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie which will hit theaters next year.

    The biopic is a passion project for Taylor-Johnson who was good friends with the singer and the project always intended to find a newcomer to portray Winehouse, rather than a pop star. The production also made sure to find someone that was of Jewish heritage to stay true to Winehouse’s background. While Abela has not sung in any of her projects to date, her RADA profile notes that she does sing and is described as an alto.

    The script for Back to Black was written by Matt Greenhalgh. The biopic is being produced by Studiocanal along with Alison Owen and Debra Hayward alongside Tracey Seaward. A deal for a Winehouse biopic was first signed off on in 2018, when the estate signed a deal for the movie. Owen and Hayward have been attached to the project since then. Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, has thrown his support behind Back to Black.

    As of now, a deal for Abela has not been finalized nor has a release date been announced for the film.

    Source: Variety

  • Fish Out of Water: Every Failed Attempt at Bringing ‘Namor’ to Life

    Fish Out of Water: Every Failed Attempt at Bringing ‘Namor’ to Life

    With the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11th, director Ryan Coogler and producer Kevin Feige will have managed to pull off the one thing it felt like Hollywood would never allow to happen – Namor on the big screen. Marvel’s first Avenging Son, often referred to as the Sub-Mariner, has been on the cusp of live-action glory since the 1950s, but somehow, every previous attempt at bringing the character to life has faltered before coming to actual fruition. Now, Tenoch Huerta is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in one of the franchise’s original flagship roles, putting a new spin on a character that’s been around since the dawn of comics. Though, before fans take a dive into the actor’s wave-making MCU debut, they could stand to learn a thing or two about the long history of failed attempts that kept Namor out of the spotlight for decades on end.

    Television

    Namor was introduced by Bill Everett in 1939’s Marvel Comics #1 as the antithesis for the comic’s protagonist, the original Human Torch. This made him Marvel’s first ever supervillain, albeit backed by the noble cause of protecting Atlantis and its citizens. Much to the company’s surprise, however, the Sub-Mariner became popular with readers who sympathized with his motives, and the character was quickly shifted from outright baddie to full-blown antihero status. The move resulted in Namor receiving his own published title and becoming something of a phenomenon, churning out book sales on par with Timely Comics’ other major player, Captain America.

    So, it didn’t take long for some television executives to decide that Namor deserved the same kind of live-action treatment Captain America got with Dick Purcell in his 1944 serial. The success of George Reeves‘ Man of Steel series was also a big factor, with producer Frank Saperstein (or Saverstein) believing that, “if you could do it with Superman, you could do it with The Sub-Mariner.“ According to a late 1960’s interview with creator Everett, conducted by former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas, the Goodson-Todman production company was interested in adapting Namor to low-budget TV in 1954, with Saperstein, a huge fan of the character, paving the way. Everett was brought on board as a story consultant, with final say over scripts, and B-movie star Richard Egan had agreed to take the lead role.

    The plan was to use the initial antihero version of Namor, not the more heroic interpretation that was favored during World War II, and bring him into “modern” situations. Unfortunately, alleged behind-the-scenes drama over unmet demands caused the creative ship to sink before it ever set sail, and The Sub-Mariner remained confined to the pages of comics. Interestingly, there have been claims that a separate live-action Namor pilot was planned to be filmed sometime in the 1970s, but canceled when executives realized the concept was too similar to NBC’s short-lived series Man From Atlantis. Although, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of reputable sources backing this up, so take that one with a grain of salt for now.

    *Note: Much of the information about the 1950s Sub-Mariner project given by Bill Everett is disputable. The writer wasn’t lying, but it’s entirely possible he misremembered some of the details regarding what happened during the series’ whirlwind production. For example, he states a producer named Frank Saperstein approached him about adapting Namor, but a quick search reveals nobody was working in the industry under that name at the time. It’s very possible Everett was actually talking about director Frank Satenstein, who worked with Goodson-Todman at the time these events took place.

    Namor: Sub-Mariner

    After Namor’s television exploits failed to materialize, his comic series wound up being scrapped and, instead of achieving the worldwide fame he’d once seemed destined for, the character fell into relative obscurity. Then, a 1997 article from Variety casually revealed to fans that Philip Kaufman, an auteur known for his range with films like The Right Stuff and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, was developing a movie titled Namor: Sub-Mariner as part of Marvel Studios’ original production slate. The filmmaker would have directed the project from a script by Sam Hamm, who also wrote 1989’s Batman, and hoped to center the story around Namor’s “certain bad feelings toward the people up above, on Earth, because of his ecological concerns“. Regrettably, not much more was ever revealed about Namor’s potential cinematic debut, and it seems whatever Kaufman had planned fizzled out within a couple years.

    Namor, the Sub-Mariner

    At some point, after Kaufman‘s work on the character had ceased, Saban Entertainment took a crack at the underwater hero with Randall Frakes handling the screenplay. The writer was best known for his work with director James Cameron on films like Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and was then crafting a new story under the title Namor, the Sub-Mariner. The news broke by way of an entirely different announcement, that Frakes had signed with Ember Entertainment, and nothing more was heard about the script after.

    Sub-Mariner

    By 2001, then-Marvel Studios President Avi Arad and Kevin Misher had made plans to sell Namor’s film rights to Universal and act as producers on whatever movie the company came up with. Arad was confident in the Sub-Mariner’s bankability, saying he felt the antihero could make for a massive franchise that dealt with the world’s true final frontier – the ocean. He also echoed sentiments made by Kaufman during the prior attempt at adapting the character, explaining that Universal had a chance to tell a Namor story dealing with a lot of real-world problems:

    Even though it was first published in 1941, Sub-Mariner has modern-day implications because if you look at the undersea and what’s happening there, you have to address such issues as Exxon Valdez and the oil spill, undersea bomb testing, pollution and global warming… The ocean is a source of food, medicine, energy and scientific study, so we are dealing here with issues that are at the forefront of today’s society. This project is a very real story told through the eyes of someone who has to not only understand humans but has to protect his own people.

    Avi Arad

    Misher was more focused on who might be attached to the film, naming the aforementioned Cameron as his ideal director and Jude Law as his pick for the titular character. Road to Perdition‘s David Self was hired to write the script in 2002, and Chris Columbus signed on to helm the movie under the name Sub-Mariner two years later for a projected 2007 release. Sadly, intense burnout from making the first two Harry Potter films caused Columbus to drop out of directing Sub-Mariner in 2005, and the whole of production soon followed him down the drain and out of theaters.

    The Sub-Mariner

    Marvel Studios and Universal moved on rather quickly, securing Jonathan Mostow to write and direct a new version of the Namor origin in 2006. Now titled The Sub-Mariner, the film would tinker with the character’s classic roots and remove him from his upbringing in Atlantis. Instead, Mostow‘s script would see Namor as a young surface-dweller who discovers he “actually is a prince from Atlantis, with him turning out to be the key man in a brewing war between the underwater world and the modern surface world“, according to a statement released by The Hollywood Reporter at the time. At this point, Kevin Feige had entered the mix as Marvel Studios chief, and stepped in to say the film’s “spectacle will be tempered with character. Our hero is caught between two worlds. That is the heart of the story, and it is that dichotomy that makes him so interesting“.

    Mostow, who is best known for directing the critically-panned Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, remained committed to the project until at least 2009. While on the press tour for his film Surrogates, the filmmaker reiterated that The Sub-Mariner would eventually be made and that the only thing holding them back was an inability to crack the script. He also commented that Universal was continually renewing their option to produce a big screen adaptation of Namor, something that ultimately prevented Feige and the ever-growing Marvel Studios from taking the reigns themselves and making a film all on their own.

    Of course, this would become the topic of much debate over the course of the next decade. After years of radio silence, it became clear that The Sub-Mariner would never see the light of day, but the belief in whether or not Universal stilled owned the character’s film rights was constantly in flux. From 2010 until as recently as 2018, a number of high-ranking Marvel and Hollywood figures gave differing information on Namor’s cinematic status. Marvel Entertainment CCO Joe Quesada and THR’s Borys Kit both made claims that Marvel had the rights back in the early 2010’s, but Feige spent most of that era staunchly sticking to his guns that prior deals with Universal would make an MCU Namor film nearly impossible. On top of it all, there was even a strange, brief moment when an unknown project, also titled The Sub-Mariner, was listed as entering production in 2017, with no studio specified.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

    With marketing for Wakanda Forever kicking up, however, it seems the days of Namor’s live-action limbo are over. The character will appear as the antagonist in the Black Panther sequel, bringing to life a longstanding comic book feud between Atlantis and Wakanda. Based on what promotional material has shown the public, it appears the MCU will opt to alter the origins of Namor and his people, giving them a connection to real-world history and bringing them more in line with the Black Panther series’ cultural themes. It’s unknown if this debut will lead to some sort of solo project down the line, or if those pesky behind-the-scenes complications are still preventing the Sub-Mariner from headlining his own film. It’s possible that Namor can be a featured character in Marvel Studios productions, but can’t have his name in a title without involvement from Universal – a situation similar to the one that confined Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk to team-ups for over a decade. Either way, it’ll be nice to finally see one of Marvel’s very first marquee names get the spotlight, even if it’s only as Black Panther’s latest foil.

    Source(s): Alter Ego, Variety, SFGate, IGN, Entertainment Weekly, Superhero Hype, Collider, Production Weekly

  • Netflix to Launch Immersive ‘Squid Game’ Experience This Fall

    Netflix to Launch Immersive ‘Squid Game’ Experience This Fall

    Netflix is launching an immersive Squid Game’s experience for fans of the hit series. The immersive experience will see players – 2 to 6 people at a time – navigating games from the series, including both Red Light Green Light and Marbles, two of the show’s most iconic games. The games will take place in game boxes developed by Immersive Gamebox and will utilize touch screen and motion sensor technology to heighten the experience. The immersive experience will kick off in New York City this September. Those interested in participating will need to be at least sixteen years old.

    “People are constantly seeking new and different ways to remain invested in their favorite content,” said Immersive Gamebox CEO Will Dean in a statement to the press. “To reimagine Netflix’s most popular show in an entirely new format offers customers more ways to stay connected to Squid Game.”

    While Immersive Gamebox has locations in Dallas, Chicago, Houston and Denver, the Squid Game experience is only confirmed for New York City as of now. Live experiences are great revenue for Netflix, while also allowing the streaming service to create experiences for fans in the real world much like Disney’s theme parks. Netflix also recently crafted experiences for both Stranger Things and Bridgerton, two of its most popular series, with the Stranger Things experience taking place in New York, London and San Francisco, while the Bridgerton experience allowed fans to experience the Queen’s Ball in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago.

    The decision to create an immersive game experience is sure to raise some concerns from fans, especially after it was recently announced that Netflix was developing a spinoff reality series. The reality series, Squid Game: The Challenge, will see contestants compete for $45 million and is expected to cast 456 players, much like in the show. 

    The first season of Squid Game is now streaming on Netflix, while Season 2 is currently in development.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Solar Opposites’ Executive Producers Discuss Creative Process for the Series

    ‘Solar Opposites’ Executive Producers Discuss Creative Process for the Series

    Solar Opposites recently released its third season, consisting of 11 episodes, on Hulu, and much praise has been given to the extremely high concept ideas that are presented and the overall strong writing from the adult animated series. During this past weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con events, Murphy’s Multiverse had the opportunity to sit down with series co-creator Mike McMahan and executive producers Josh Bycel and Danielle Uhlrik to talk about the creative and writing process behind Solar Opposites. McMahan opened the interview by discussing the ultimate creative freedom the team has and their ability to formulate absurd pitches into tangible content. 

    Half the time, I’ll pitch an insane thing, Joshua (Bycel) will go, ‘Well we can’t do that,’ and we’ll spend the day thinking how we can do it.

    Mike McMahan

    A good portion of the “insane” ideas that end up being folded into the series come from a deep lexicon of film and television references. Both Danielle Uhlirk and Josh Bycel spent some time talking about these inspirations that permeate in the writer’s room.

    We love TV and movies so much that the more we can break the rules, the better. And then we are just surprising ourselves, because, at the end of it, we are just trying to entertain ourselves in the (writer’s) room.

    Danielle Uhlrik

    So many times, so many of the nods or the homages are only things that we like that no one else is asking for. Like no one was asking for us to do a storyline about Sylvester Stallone’s movie Daylight, but we thought it was funny and Mike (McMahan) and I liked it.

    Josh Bycel

    With that in mind, Mike McMahan brought up the advantages that the animation medium has in being able to reach these unpredictable concepts that the creative team produces.

    When you’re watching an animated show, you know right at the beginning…it isn’t going to be a ‘standard’ show. So how are we going to wield that? Executives always ask, ‘Why is this animated?,’and for us, it’s because you’re never going to predict what happens in the show.

    Mike McMahan

    Josh Bycel also took some time to discuss the joy he and the writing team get to have in getting to branch out into various genres of film and television for this show, even within their distinct background of comedy.

    When we get to do The Wall stuff and now with this new season, SilverCops…for us it’s so fun as we get to cosplay being drama writers. We’re like nerdy comedy writers that no prestigious drama would ever hire, but we get to do our own prestigious drama with tiny little people eating Peeps.

    Josh Bycel

    On the concept of The Wall, Mike McMahan revealed that the Solar Opposites team still has large amounts of story to be told from that arc that will cover a good portion of the show’s future.

    I think for The Wall, we have at least two or three more seasons figured out, but luckily it’s such an open book. Because you can switch the genre and because it’s just little people in a society…it’s like a video game in a way. We can always adjust it and change it, we just have to introduce new villains and new heroes and let time pass. The one thing we push the breaks on is we don’t want to jump ahead, it’s more funny to us to be like ‘Okay, now the Cherie character has a baby, but next season it can’t be a teenager, that almost has to be a toddler and let it be a slow, unexpected serialized thing.’ But then because we get to genre-change all the time, it feels like a different Oscar-movie thriller every year which we never get to write that stuff as comedy writers. It’s like a whole new sandbox, and we never run out of ideas

    Mike McMahan

    If Solar Opposites is able to maintain the high level of creative quality it has exuded thus far for the multiple future seasons of content the writing team has accounted for, Hulu could have a long-term success story on their hands. All three seasons of Solar Opposites are currently available to watch on Hulu and a fourth is currently in development.

    This interview was done in conjunction with Saturday Morning Cereal, Pixelated Geek, and JVS Media & Productions.

  • Morning After Huddle: First Day of NFL Training Camp

    Morning After Huddle: First Day of NFL Training Camp

    You smell that, friends? That is the smell of the NFL Preseason just a week away. What essentially symbolizes the beginning of the NFL season, the new-look Jaguars and new-look Raiders will kick this thing off a week from today. Once that happens, there won’t be a week without football until after the Pro Bowl. So, stick with the Multiversers as we get you ready with this morning’s Morning After Huddle. We begin in the city of Brotherly Love, where all eyes are on QB Jalen Hurts and his second year in Head Coach Nick Sirriani’s offense.

    • According to Ian Rapaport, the QB with the shiny new number one WR has looked very comfortable. Building off a strong spring, Hurts had a strong day at training camp as he continues to build rapport with newly-acquired WR AJ Brown, first-round pick from a year ago Devonta Smith, and a motivated Jalen Reagor. Mix in Dallas Goedert and RB Miles Sanders, and a stout offensive line, and this Eagles team has the chance to be very explosive on offense. If the defense holds up, the Eagles are a team to watch in the NFC East.
    • Speaking of defenses, the San Francisco 49ers made a move by releasing EDGE Dee Ford. Injuries over the last two seasons have really prevented the pass rusher from replicating his production in Kansas City, and it will be interesting to see if a team takes a flyer on him as they enter training camp. One team to look out for? The New York Jets, whose head coach Robert Saleh was Ford’s defensive coordinator in San Francisco. And everyone knows Saleh loves him some defensive linemen.
    • Continuing with the Jets, they officially announced that Mehki Becton will play RT this upcoming season. After the birth of his first son, the Big Ticket has been at the Jets facility for the last month getting in shape: this was made difficult after a freak injury last season cut his season short, but he appears to be in great spirits. Becton said that he doesn’t care where he plays so long as he’s out there with the starting five, and he seems committed to shutting up the naysayers who forgot just how dominant he was his rookie year. Defensive linemen, be warned.
    • Sticking with defensive linemen, the Patriots resigned one of their better ones in DT Davon Godchaux. The interior defensive lineman received a two-year extension with $17.85 million guaranteed. For his career, Godchaux only has four sacks, but is a stout run defender and is able to occupy blockers to free EDGE Matthew Judon, who feasts on one on ones. This also created some cap space for the Patriots, who are in dire need of WR help: could this be where Odell Beckham, Jr. lands? Something to watch.
    • Concluding with the pass catchers, we bring you a quick update on Deebo Samuel, Michael Thomas, and Julio Jones. Julio has joined the Tampa Bay Bucs on the same day that Chris Godwin came off the PUP list and, with the addition of Russell Gage this off-season, the Bucs now have some serious depth behind the aforementioned Godwin and WR Mike Evans. It was depth they had before Antonio Brown went off the rails, again. Deebo Samuel had a great conversation with Kyle Shanahan, according only to Kyle Shanahan, and is “holding in” for a new contract that would reward him for being one of the better WRs last year. He, also, has no interest in playing RB, which makes sense especially when you consider that any time Deebo isn’t spending at WR isn’t helping Trey Lance become a better QB. And Michael Thomas, who used to be in the discussion as one of the better WRs, is healthy and will join newly-drafted Chris Olave and newly-signed Jarvis Landry to create one of the better trios in the NFL for Saints QB Jameis Winston.
  • Xochitl Gomez Talks America Chavez’s Future…As a Possible Mutant

    Xochitl Gomez Talks America Chavez’s Future…As a Possible Mutant

    Xochitl Gomez is a star on the rise. The actress debuted as the dimension-hopping hero America Chavez in this year’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and it seems likely that Marvel Studios has even bigger plans for her future. In both the comics and on the big screen, her character has the ability to punch her way across Marvel’s never-ending plethora of universes. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the midst of it’s Multiverse Saga, and with a Secret Wars adaptation on the way, America could end up being the piece that ties it all together. She could also play an interesting role in what the MCU has planned next.

    The finale of Ms. Marvel on Disney+ pulled a shocking twist when it revealed Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan would be the MCU’s first major mutant. Traditionally an Inhuman, the move proved Marvel Studios was not afraid to tweak origins on the road to folding former Fox properties into their timeline. Making Khan a mutant also helped simplify her somewhat messy on-screen backstory, and a similar unveiling could do the same for America Chavez, whose powers and origin are usually fairly complicated to explain. Speaking with Comic Book Movie, Gomez was asked how she felt about her character’s potential to also be a mutant in the MCU. Her response was not a denial:

    Yeah, I mean I’m honestly open to anything. As long as we get to see…I think there’s so much more to her and her story that we haven’t really seen yet. I think there are lots of layers to America, and I think there are some fun things to explore. Hopefully, we get to explore the things, and yeah, I think that’s all I’m gonna say.

    Xochitl Gomez

    The last time fans saw Chavez, she was training with Wong in Kamar Taj to become a sorcerer. If not a mutant, than perhaps the young heroine could join the ranks Doctor Strange and the Sorcerer Supreme. When asked about this alternative possibility, Gomez continued:

    Yeah, you see her in Kamar Taj and she’s learning the mystic arts, which is a different form of magic than her powers. I think it’s really cool that she’s learning that, and also just being at Kamar Taj gives her some discipline and just a place to call home since, obviously, she doesn’t really have a place like that. Being there with Wong I think is a good choice and a smart decision.

    Xochitl Gomez

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now streaming on Disney+. Whether America Chavez could turn out to be a mutant or a sorcerer remains uncertain.

    Source: Comic Book Movie