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  • ‘Ms. Marvel’s Head Writer Reveals THAT Moment Wasn’t Always the Plan

    ‘Ms. Marvel’s Head Writer Reveals THAT Moment Wasn’t Always the Plan

    The final episode of Ms. Marvel has dropped and it’s time to talk about it. If you, however, want to remain unspoiled then only continue at your own risk.

    Marvel Studios has finally made a move in regards to the slow introduction of the mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ms. Marvel has been revealed to be the MCU’s first mutant with a nice nod and the iconic 90s theme from the animated series. As it turns out, however, this wasn’t always the plan from the get-go as head writer Bisha K. Ali revealed that it was something that was definitely a moving piece as they put the series together.

    It wasn’t from the beginning [of the show]. With Marvel, something’s always a moving piece, and we’re trying to solve this question of, ‘If any of [Kamala’s family] put the bangle on, would they have powers?’ The answer was always no, from a character perspective, no.

    Bisha K. Ali

    It’s interesting as the way it was hinted at was that they had this in the back of their minds while writing the project. They hinted that their plans were always to change their approach to the character to fit Kamala Khan in the bigger mythos being built around the MCU. We all just assumed that they may be actually setting something up in regards to her future appearance in The Marvels, but it definitely was a surprise that they went that direction. Some still believe that this is an erasure of the Inhumans, but with the recent appearance of Black Bolt, there are many opportunities to still tie her with the Royal Family in interesting ways.

    Source: Marvel

  • Iman Vellani Shares Her Excitement About THAT ‘Ms. Marvel’ Scene

    Iman Vellani Shares Her Excitement About THAT ‘Ms. Marvel’ Scene

    Spoiler ahead if you haven’t seen the final episode of Ms. Marvel yet. So, if you want to remain spoiler free, only continue at your own risk.

    The ending of Ms. Marvel did a lot. It felt like the perfect double-whammy as not only did we get the return of Brie Larson to the Marvel Cinematic Universe since her cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but also the reveal of the first mutant in the MCU. Now, it wasn’t explicitly stated that she is a mutant but anyone that loves the X-Men: The Animated Series‘ theme would instantly make the combination with the word “Mutation.” In a way, it’s our first official acknowledgment of the team in the mainline MCU, and Iman Vellani shares how she freaked out when she found out.

    They sent me, and only me, the draft [of the final episode], and I immediately freaked out. I emailed Kevin Feige in all caps. I was like, are you doing this like for real? Are you sure? I’m so honored! I was like yelling at him through an email. I was freaking out. This is the biggest deal in the world, and the fact that it’s happening in our show is crazy. People are going to lose their minds. They’re going to lose everything. I did. It’s truly a really big deal.

    Iman Vellani

    We’re naturally left with more questions than answers. The X-Men‘s only confirmed future appearance is through the animated sequel series to the iconic 90s animated series. With the iconic theme song making a repeated return, perhaps they are part of this franchise after all and we’ll meet a very different team that’s always been there. Of course, we also saw that version of Professor X in Multiverse of Madness is part of another dimension. So, they kind of paid tribute to it while also keeping the door open. Perhaps SDCC has some answers for us soon.

    Source. Marvel

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Costume Designer Opens Up on Challenges Bringing the Illuminati to Life

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Costume Designer Opens Up on Challenges Bringing the Illuminati to Life

    There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the introduction of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Many were shocked when it was revealed that Black Bolt’s costume was entirely made through VFX, which was quite impressive. Of course, the internet has made its own theories in regards to how it came together, but luckily in an interview with Comic Book Movies, costume designer Graham Churchyard has offered some insight into what exactly happened behind the scenes.

    While many believed that the current releases were safe from COVID, it turn sout that their initial plans for the Illuminati weren’t as easy to bring to life as initially expected. Churchyard reveals that many couldn’t travel due to COVID, and there was also an issue of hopes on who they might be able to include. By the time they could finally, likely also contractually speaking, there wasn’t much time left.

    Yeah, I feel sorry for Janek Sirrs that he had to shoehorn those in at the last moment. We had designs for other characters, and then we didn’t have casting and there were travel bans. When we were shooting the Illuminati in London, actors like Sir Patrick couldn’t come to London because of travel. Richie Palmer and everyone had a big wish list of like who was going to be in the Illuminati. When it came down to those two characters being settled on, it was then even too late to make something locally in Los Angeles. Just way too late and too close.

    Graham Churchyard

    He also shared his thoughts with the VFX teams that had to work on everything at the last second but highlighted how they tried their best to help them as best as they could through the costume design, especially the challenge with Wanda flying around Kamar Taj.

    It was probably too close for comfort for visual effects to really do that because up to that point, everything else had been physically there. All of Wanda when she’s flying around Kamar Taj on a very elaborate wire rig that’s like a spider that goes six ways that can pull you in different directions. Where possible, pretty much everything is physical in the costumes unless they say, ‘Hey, the skirt is getting in the way of the rig.’ It just gives visual effects one less thing to do out of the million things that they have to do in to bring these characters and enhance them in the way you see them.

    Graham Churchyard

    Lastly, they revealed that they had to build Captain Marvel’s costume, played by Lashana Lynch in this alternative universe, from scratch. So, they didn’t have much time but confirmed that a lot was cut throughout the process.

    Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel…we built that entirely from scratch. We start with a 3D scan in a photogrammetry booth, and then we work out a form of the person and start building the costume on top of that and sculpt things in the computer. We’re then printing those out, moulding them, and then get to the point where we say, ‘Let’s bring the actor in for a fitting’ and fine-tune it until you get something like that. I was really happy with Lashana’s costume. The fit and performance, and she was able to fight. All I’m saying is a lot was cut and it’s a very quick end for the Illuminati. We shot a tonne more, but maybe it’ll be on the Blu-ray.

    Graham Curchyard

    There is hope that we’ll get a view behind the scenes from the production in the blu-ray extras, especially some concept art teasing who may have almost joined the Illuminati. Costume design having to throw together something as fast as they could is quite respectable and everyone involved managed to give us a great film even with all these COVID hurdles along the way.

    Source: Comic Book Movie

  • ‘Batgirl’ Headed to Theaters in 2023

    ‘Batgirl’ Headed to Theaters in 2023

    A few years back, the previous studio heads over at Warner Brothers were interested in developing original films set within the DC Extended Universe for release exclusively on HBO Max, with the first of these being Batgirl and Blue Beetle. Since then, Blue Beetle has forgone its streaming release for a theatrical one. Earlier this year, Warner Brothers Discovery was debating giving Batgirl a theatrical release as well, citing David Zaslav’s distaste for releasing such big films on streaming.

    There has been radio silence on a potential release for the film, still currently set to release on HBO Max. However, it seems there may be a change incoming for the film. In an updated release schedule from Warner Bros UK, Batgirl is now listed under “2023 Theatrical Release.”

    Now this isn’t doesn’t mean the same for the United States and elsewhere as of right now for one specific reason. HBO Max currently is not available to the United Kingdom, meaning a theatrical release would be one of the only ways fans would be able to see it there.

    The studio has the perfect opportunity to cash in on a theatrical release if they were to hold on the film until late next year. Batgirl could thrive in late 2023 release, sometime around November and December, considering the film is set during Christmas and that Warner Brothers currently has no DC films set for release following Blue Beetle’s release next August.

    SOURCE: Twitter

  • Zazie Beetz Leads Impressive Ensemble Cast of Season 6 of ‘Black Mirror’

    Zazie Beetz Leads Impressive Ensemble Cast of Season 6 of ‘Black Mirror’

    The sixth season of Netflix’s Black Mirror has set its cast. Per Variety, Zazie Beetz, Paapa Essiedu, Josh Hartnett, Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, Danny Ramirez, Clara Rugaard, Auden Thornton and Anjana Vasan will all appear in the upcoming season of Black Mirror. The outlet also confirms that this cast will span across three episodes, with more cast members expected to be announced for further episodes of the season.

    Beetz is perhaps best known for her role on FX’s Atlanta as well as her turn as Domino in the second Deadpool movie. While Essiedu is known for The Lazarus Project. Hartnett, of course, has a long-spanning career that includes films like 30 Days of Night and The Faculty. He is next set to star in Oppenheimer for Christopher Nolan. 

    As for Paul, he’s best known for starring in Breaking Bad, and will next be seen in HBO’s Westworld. Mara is coming off the television series A Teacher, and previously starred in Netflix’s House of Cards. Ramirez is coming off of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the hug hit, Top Gun: Maverick, while Rugaard led the Sky series The Rising. Thornton is coming off of the hit series This is Us, and Vasan recently starred in We Are Lady Parts.

    Production on Black Mirror’s is thought to be currently underway.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘RESIDENT EVIL’: Lance Reddick Teases His Take on Albert Wesker

    ‘RESIDENT EVIL’: Lance Reddick Teases His Take on Albert Wesker

    Fans of the Resident Evil franchise know that Albert Wesker is one of the big bads of the video games. While he did appear in the films, the films were never well-received by fans of the franchise. So, Netflix’s live action take on the games is a chance to right the wrongs, and one way is to put the focus on Wesker this time around.

    For actor Lance Reddick, while he’s never really played the games, he did binge-watch the movies a few years ago before being cast. Admittedly not a huge fan of horror, Reddick was drawn to Resident Evil because of how “exciting” and “challenging” it was to bring Wesker to life. “What’s so fascinating to me about this show, in addition to how exciting and challenging the role is for something that is so action driven, it has so many nuanced, and three-dimensional characters,” the actor explained. “You care just as much about the drama of the journey of the characters as you do about the action or the scares or the monsters.”

    When it comes to Resident Evil, one of its biggest appeals is that it is for old fans and new fans alike. If you love the video games, there is plenty to take in – from the characters, to the production design and even some of the stories being told. It pulls heavily from its source material. However, it also takes the time to create something new that’ll help to entertain those not all that familiar with the games. While fans of the games have an idea of what to expect in terms of the t-virus and bioorganic weapons, for fans unfamiliar with the franchise, Reddick assures that he believes it is a good show for everyone – fan or not.

    “I wanted to do the show because I wanted to tell the story seems like a good endorsement,” says Reddick. “I like to tell the kinds of stories that I would want to watch. I read the first seven episodes, and I was like, “I want to watch that show, and because I want to watch it, I want to be in it.”’

    And for those that are fans of the games? Well, Reddick asks them to give the show a chance because there’s plenty in store for them. “The games are basically backstory for this and the thing that fans will understand, if they stick with it, once they get to the end of the season, is that the Wesker in the show …wait, I can’t tell you that.”

    Resident Evil debuts on Netflix on Thursday, July 14th. Be sure to check out our review here!

  • BREAKING: ‘Nope’s Daniel Kaluuya Won’t Reprise ‘Black Panther’ Role in Upcoming Sequel

    BREAKING: ‘Nope’s Daniel Kaluuya Won’t Reprise ‘Black Panther’ Role in Upcoming Sequel

    Here’s a surprise, but it looks like one mainstay of the Black Panther franchise won’t be making his return, as Daniel Kaluuya revealed in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes @THATJacqueline. She shared the news on Twitter as the NOPE star revealed he wasn’t able to reprise his role due to scheduling conflicts with his involvement with the latest Jordan Peele film. So, it seems we’ll sadly not get a sequence with W’Kabi, which is a shame given the relationship teased in the first film and the world views that would eventually break them apart.

    We still don’t know exactly what to expect of the upcoming Black Panther sequel. A few promos have teased that we may be looking at war between Namor’s Atlantis and Wakanda. Just how they’ll tackle what happened to T’Challa is still a big question for everyone, but they have openly stated they won’t recast the character. W’Kabi missing is a shame given how close they were and it would’ve been great to see how much the passing of his former friend might affect him, especially after the last time they talked was on different sides.

    Director Ryan Coogler is facing one of the biggest challenges anyone could tackle, especially with how close he was to Chadwick Boseman. Whatever decision he decided to take, it’ll likely be in tribute to his friend. We are still a few months away from it hitting theaters. So, the first trailer reveal will be the one to give us a better idea of how they’ll bring it all together while setting up Wakanda’s future.

    Twitter: Twitter

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Predicted to Cross $200M This Weekend

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Predicted to Cross $200M This Weekend

    The fourquel, which is seeing mixed reviews from critics, is still expected to top the box office in its second outing. However, as is the case with most blockbusters that are frontloaded, Love and Thunder is estimated to see a 65% decline for a $50 million second weekend. With yesterday’s $13.6 million haul, the film is just shy of $170 million stateside, which is actually ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ first Tuesday, which only pulled in $12.6 million.

    As for its second weekend decline, while it is a steep one, the projected decline is in line with the declines of Spider-Man: No Way Home (67%), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (67%) and Eternals (62%).

    Love and Thunder won’t have much competition at the box office this weekend. Paramount and Nickelodeon are releasing the animated film, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, while Sony/Hello Sunshine are releasing the adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing. Both are smaller budgeted films that are not expected to pose much of a threat. Although, Paws of Fury could see Minions: The Rise of Gru fall a notch or two this weekend with the films catering to the same market. The only true competition for Love and Thunder is Top Gun: Maverick, which doesn’t show any signs of slowing down at the box office now that is has crossed $600 million stateside.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Now Tops Paramount’s All-Time Box Office List

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Now Tops Paramount’s All-Time Box Office List

    As of Tuesday evening, Top Gun: Maverick has passed $600 million at the domestic box office. The film is currently sitting at $601.9 million domestically and $595.6 million internationally. That brings the film to a stunning total of $1.2 billion globally.

    Reaching $600 million at the domestic box office is an impressive feat, even without an ongoing pandemic. As it stands, Top Gun: Maverick ranks as the 12th in all-time North American ticket sales, behind Incredibles 2 ($608 million) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($620 million). It’s more than likely the film will surpass Incredibles 2 shortly, as the film continues to perform well for Paramount despite its competition at the box office. It is also entirely possibly the film will surpass Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Avengers ($623 million) when all is said and done.

    Along with crossing $600 million, Top Gun: Maverick has become Paramount’s highest earner at the North American box office to date, surpassing Titanic’s $600.7 million domestic haul – that total, of course, does not include the money earned from the film’s various re-releases, which have since brought it to $659 million. 

    “For 110 years, Paramount Pictures has produced and distributed some of the most iconic films in Hollywood history, including the all-time classic ‘Titanic,’ which marks its 25th anniversary this year,” Brian Robbins, Paramount’s president and CEO said in a statement to the press. “‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is a phenomenal motion picture, and we take deep pride in celebrating this tremendous achievement alongside Tom Cruise, our filmmakers and cast, our marketing and distribution teams, and, of course, all the new and original ‘Top Gun’ fans, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible.”

    Top Gun: Maverick has become a box office phenomenon since its release over Memorial Day weekend. Even now, nearly two months after release, the Tom Cruise-led flick remains in the top three releases, having pulled in another $15.5 million from this past weekend. With no signs of stopping, Maverick seems likely to continue smashing records before its run is complete.

    Source: Variety. 

  • Ranking Marvel’s Phase 4 Villains

    Ranking Marvel’s Phase 4 Villains

    13. Dreykov (Black Widow)

    The character of Dreykov isn’t so much the problem as was the fact that Ray Winstone played him with big grandpa-fell-asleep-on-the-toilet-again energy. A strange enough casting choice to begin with, Winstone’s take on the character makes his appearance in the film feel even more forced

    12. Damage Control (Ms. Marvel)

    While only slightly more menacing than Sleepy Dreykov, the Department of Damage Control still comes off as more of a joke than a threat. The ineptitude of what one would assume are at least relatively well-trained agents is rough to take. Being held at bay by some pitching machines and fire extinguishers doesn’t bode well for them taking any really violent powered people. And as the face of the DODC, Deevers is just paper-thin. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had better antagonists.

    11. Arthur Harrow (Moon Knight)

    Ethan Hawke taking a villainous turn in a Marvel Studios project sounded like a match made in heaven. And then Moon Knight came and went without Hawke’s Arthur Harrow making much of an impression. Much the opposite of Dreykov, it wasn’t Hawke’s lack of effort that lead to this low spot on the list; in fact, Hawke made more out of the character than most could have. For all the great things about Moon Knight, the villain just wasn’t one of them.

    10. Flagsmashers (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

    Erin Kellyman owned the role of Karli Morgenthau, sharing the screen with MCU vets Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan and never taking a back seat. However, with so much attention on John Walker, Baron Zemo and Sharon Carter, the Flagsmashers as a group really never got enough time to develop into a threat on the level worthy of Captain America. This is a case of Marvel Studios kneecapping itself with the six-episode format. Adding an episode or two and letting the Flagsmashers develop would have done wonders. Not a bad group of villains by any stretch, but definitely underused.

    9. Gorr (Thor: Love and Thunder)

    Speaking of underused…adding Christian Bale to the fourth Thor film as one of the God of Thunder’s most terrifying villains was as can’t miss as it could get. And then they turned him into Gorr the Scary Party Clown. The lack of god butchering and the fact that the only time he was legitimately terrifying was telling a story to a bunch of kids in a cage makes Gorr a bit of a disappointment; however, Bale was all in on the character and while he’s not the guy from the comics, he’s still pretty great.

    8. Kingpin (Hawkeye)

    Vincent D’Onofrio’s casting as Wilson Fisk was a stroke of genius. A truly underrated actor, D’Onofrio inhabits every square inch of Kingpin. He gives every breath, every movement and every word his full attention to detail. So why isn’t he at the top of the list? Because Marvel Studios chose to pretend his reprisal of the role was a secret and introduced him…in a still frame captured on a 2004 potato.

    7. Agatha (WandaVision)

    Arguably nobody in the history of the MCU has had more fun in a role than Kathryn Hahn did as Agatha Harkness in WandaVision. Evolving as the series progressed, Hahn’s Agatha became one of the highlights of a fantastic series. Her performance in the flashback episode propelled her to the top, but the weak finale pushed her back down the list a bit. The great news is that Hahn gets to come back and give more to the role and nobody is going to be unhappy about that.

    6. Infinite Ultron (What If…?)

    Perhaps the only character who truly embodies the concept behind What If…?, Infinite Ultron was the highlight of the first season of the animated series and a greater threat than his live-action counterpart ever got to be.

    5. Ikaris (Eternals)

    You have to respect the man’s (robot’s) commitment. So committed to Arishem’s plan was Ikaris that he was willing to kill everyone he knew to allow it to come to fruition. Casting Richard Madden, who oozes charisma, in the role is a bit confusing given his very stoic performance, but the fact is that Ikaris does get better action sequences that everyone other than Wenwu and Green Goblin and a bit of redemption when he chooses to fly into the sun rather than go betray his mission. He can’t kill his friends, but he’d rather kill himself than allow them to succeed.

    4. Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)

    The Scarlet Witch unleashed proved to be as deadly of a villain as any in Marvel Cinematic Universe history. As it turns out, having Sam Raimi take the helm of the story that allowed Wanda Maximoff to turn heel led to one of the most unsettling villain performances in Phase 4. Having portrayed the character for so long, Elizabeth Olsen masterfully hit all the notes and nuances that elevated the Scarlet Witch towards the top of the hierarchy of Phase 4 villains.

    3. He Who Remains (Loki)

    Only given one episode to shine, Jonathan Majors enormous talent propels this Kang Variant to top tier. Majors managed to outshine one of the MCU’s greatest stars in Tom Hiddleston, making a first impression unlike any other in recent MCU memory. Knowing he’ll be back (because he memorably told us all he would) lessens to blow struck by Sylvie. A truly haunting and fascinating performance by one of the best talents in Hollywood.

    2. Green Goblin (Spider-Man: No Way Home)

    As information trickled out about the plot of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it was tough to understand how Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin could be the baddie of the piece, much less end up being one of the Phase’s most menacing. The bulk of the credit goes to Dafoe, who nearly 20 years later gave something more to both sides of Norman Osborn than he did in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. This time around, Dafoe’s Gobby was even more unhinged and got to go toe-to-toe with Spidey in one of the Phase’s best one-on-one fights. Killing May and then taunting Peter put the icing on the villain cake.

    1. Wenwu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)

    A villain so good that the movie should have been titled Wenwu and The Legend of The Ten Rings. Played masterfully by the legend Tony Leung, it’s Wenwu’s journey that truly propels the film. Shang-Chi is great in his own right and one of the MCU’s most likeable protagonists, but Wenwu isn’t just Phase 4’s best villain, he’s one of the MCU’s best yet.