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  • EXCLUSIVE: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on the Importance of Bringing Kamala Khan to Life in the MCU

    EXCLUSIVE: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on the Importance of Bringing Kamala Khan to Life in the MCU

    Episodes 4 and 5 of Marvel Studios latest Disney Plus streaming series, Ms. Marvel, were directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a veteran filmmaker with 20 years of experience. And while Obaid-Chinoy, who has won 7 Emmy and 2 Academy Awards for her documentary work, has plenty of time behind the camera, she is brand new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Born in Pakistan, Obaid-Chinoy now plays a large role in bringing Kamala Khan, Marvel’s first Muslim superhero, to the screen from the pages of Marvel Comics. In an exclusive interview, the director explained why she wanted to be part of the creative team that brought Ms. Marvel to life.

    I think Kamala Khan changes the way we see superheroes. And I think the world is ready to embrace the fact that superheroes come in all shapes and forms and sizes. And that, in falling in love with the Khan family, in falling in love with Kamala Khan, you open yourself up to these experiences, to this culture, to this way of life, to this food and this music and these fabrics and sort of the richness of the texture of what it is to be an immigrant in America and to find your voice. I think she does this wonderful job of doing that.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    Through 4 episodes, it’s safe to say that Obaid-Chinoy and the rest of the Ms. Marvel team have succeeded in making fans fall in love with Kamala, her family and their story as the series is among the most-well reviewed projects Marvel Studios has put out to date. The character is already beloved by fans, who are already anticipating star Iman Vellani‘s next appearance in 2023’s The Marvels, and it’s safe to assume she’s going to play a large part in the future of the MCU.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on the Emotional Conclusion to Episode 4 of ‘Ms. Marvel’

    EXCLUSIVE: Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on the Emotional Conclusion to Episode 4 of ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Episode 4 of Ms. Marvel, “Seeing Red”, ended on a very TV-esque cliffhanger that saw Kamala Khan witnessing the events of the 1947 Partition, which divided the British-occupied Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan, displacing 10 to 20 million people amidst terrible and unprecedented violence that took the lives of as many as 2 million.

    The Partition has served as a key point in the story of Ms. Marvel so far as it’s part of the story of Kamala’s great-grandmother, Aisha, the character around whom the central mystery of the 6-part series continues to revolve. Whether Kamala traveled through time to 1947 in Episode 4, or if she’s part of a more immersive vision than the ones she’s previously had is unclear. What is clear, however, is that what she saw on the train platform, and what she’ll see in next week’s episode, will connect her to Aisha in a way that passed down stories from her family never could.

    In an exclusive interview with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the director of episodes 4 and 5 of Ms. Marvel, Charles Murphy asked about the emotional final scene.

    Kamala is bringing audiences into something that is rarely visualized on screen, which is the 1947 Partition. And in that moment that she’s walking on the platform, she is not a superhero. She is bearing witness to this monumental period in history that carries such a generational trauma. I took hundreds of photographs from 1947 and recreated that on that platform to be able to tell that story.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    Obaid-Chinoy went on to explain how the details of the scene, specifically the conversations among those on the platforms, were part of an escalation of emotions that ended in the chilling final shot that showed millions of people chaotically scrambling, leaving friends and family behind.

    I wanted Kamala to be catching-to be listening into-these frenetic conversations that were taking place as people were leaving their homes. So she’s almost listening to snippets of conversations and each conversation makes you realize what it meant for those people to leave their homes and to leave relationships and to leave their family members. In the case of the father and the son, he was too old to travel and he was sending his son. This little girl thinks that her mom and her will no longer have a place on the train because it’s so packed. These two friends who are hugging, who’ll never see each other again. And so as she was walking through and she was looking, the anguish of the families was reflecting on her face as she was listening. So I think that by making it deeply personal and making it about families and them leaving their homes, anybody…it was transcending cultures and boundaries. Anybody who’s had to leave home or who’s experienced refugees could…it touched them in some way.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    In closing, Obaid-Chinoy touched on how important it was that the audience slowly realize the scale of the historical moment and how the camera work in the scene put audiences right into the midst of the frenzy.

    And the scale of it was so important, so to make her climb up on that train and to pull the camera back for you to realize that millions of people left their homes. You realize that when the camera pulls back, you see people just jumping onto the train and that frenetic energy…that is exactly how it was in 1947.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    Of course, the full extent of Kamala’s experience with Partition, and the mechanics of how she finds herself there, are still a mystery but given Marvel Studios’ track record of using the fifth episode of their streaming series to wrap up the ongoing mysteries of the series, fans will likely learn considerably more next week.

  • ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Trailer Pulls in Massive Viewership Within 24 Hours, Beats Out ‘The Mandalorian’s

    ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Trailer Pulls in Massive Viewership Within 24 Hours, Beats Out ‘The Mandalorian’s

    Now, this isn’t something you would expect but there’s a reason Hocus Pocus was such a cult classic even after all these years. After a long wait, the first trailer has finally arrived for the sequel, simply titled Hocus Pocus 2, that’ll see the return of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy in the roles they played 29 years ago. Within 24 hours, the trailer has pulled in a massive 43.6M.

    To put that into comparison, it has outperformed some of Diseny+’s biggest trailer releases such as The Book of Boba Fett’s 23M and Luca’s 28M. Not only that, it even surpassed the teasers for the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, which stood at 35M each. Those are some massive numbers, and once again highlighted just how valuable a continuation of a classic franchise truly can be with such a long break, as we saw with Top Gun Maverick a few months back.

    It’ll be interesting to see if the viewership also carries over into the film’s actual release. These numbers tend to hint at where the project will end up performing, which hopefully is a sign that Disney+ is starting to find its base with more audiences. Marvel and Star Wars will remain their cornerstone, but Disney may finally realize that their IP pockets are much deeper and far more diverse moving forward.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Offers Some Details on Disney+ Series Reshoots

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Offers Some Details on Disney+ Series Reshoots

    Ms. Marvel was a surprising project, as it was seemingly going to release last year. It was hinted at arriving before Hawkeye and we even got a first glimpse at the project during Disney’s Investors Day. Suddenly, the project was postponed and there were hints at quite a few reshoots were ordered for the project. The Direct got a chance to sit down with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who offered a little insight into why they needed the reshoots.

    At first, she seemingly hints that only “a few pickups” were necessary, especially when it came to tying together the story for the season. Ms. Marvel feels the most “episodic” of all of Marvel Studios’ six-hour drama series and it definitely has one of its most interesting over-arching arcs on her heritage and how it connects with her newly gained powers.

    I think that we went back and did some pickup shoots in which we were tying the story in together, and making sure that there was a sort of cohesive storyline that ran through. And I think that each, you know, sort of, with each one of the episodes, when you sort of complete the series, you go back and you just think about all of the other things that you could have brought in and done that. So we did a few pickups here and that

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    She also highlights that a big part that influenced its developments was the fact that they had quite a few crowd shots planned, which were affected by the pandemic. As such, they couldn’t shoot on locations, especially as they had to travel from country to country, which took up a bit more time.

    I think it was the pandemic. To be honest, I think that the pandemic was so cyclical, that every time we thought it was coming to an end, it would re-emerge its sort of ugly head. And I think that there are some very big scenes in Ms. Marvel and that require, you know, hundreds and hundreds of extras and that are shot on location, and they’re outdoors. And, you know, there is international travel and, and I think that putting a six-part series that is shot in multiple countries with diverse crews and multiple characters in a pandemic requires time.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    The Direct theorizes on why exactly this project was delayed as far back as it was, but we’ve seen the restrictions international travel had on Falcon and The Winter Soldier earlier on that may have acted as a lesson for them while tackling a series that is directly tied to its cultural heritage. So, they may have decided to prioritize the reshoots rather than rush it out. Something we may see with many more projects moving forward.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Eyeing Production Start Soon

    ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Eyeing Production Start Soon

    The Boys latest season has been quite the hit with viewers, as the newly introduced Jensen Ackles‘ Soldier Boy has become quite the fan favorite. The group is once again falling apart due to their own egos while trying to avoid the superpowered heroes taking them down. While we still have two episodes left in this season, it seems that plans are already made to start work on Season 4 according to Karl Urban.

    Yeah, we’re starting I think August the 22nd, we’re going to be starting season four. So I’m getting back, getting my Butcher back on, and I can’t wait. It’s a fun gang to play with, we work hard and play hard, and I can’t wait to see where they take the characters from where we leave them at the end of this season.

    Karl Urban

    He highlights that he hasn’t seen the scripts yet. Urban is just as excited as we are about how they’ll continue to surprise audiences with some clever commentary.

    We’re about two months away from filming, and I have no idea. So that’ll tell you something, but yeah, not too far away. I mean, I expect that we’ll… I’m actually going to be seeing Kripke next week and I expect conversations will start to happen about what he’s got in store. I like to give them the respect of being able to do their writing process and not be harassed by actors going, “What are we doing?” But I can’t wait. They always come up with insane stuff, so yeah, it’s going to be fun.

    Karl Urban

    It’ll also be interesting to see how the third season wraps up, especially if some of the newly introduced characters are here to stay or who might not make it beyond the latest season. Homelander is seemingly about to meet his breaking point, which opens up a very dangerous future for our boys and everyone involved in the takedown of Vought Industries.

    Source: Collider

  • Theory Thursday: Time Travel and Ms. Marvel’s Quantum Connection

    Theory Thursday: Time Travel and Ms. Marvel’s Quantum Connection

    Part of what has made Ms. Marvel so enjoyable over the past four weeks is the genuine mystery that weaves throughout each episode and keeps viewers on their toes. It all stems from the fact that Kamala Khan does not appear to bring her Inhuman ties to the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, the source of her powers has left both casual viewers and comic book experts scratching their heads as to where the series is taking the beloved character. Even by the end of Episode 4, fans still aren’t entirely clear as to what’s happening. But we first looked at Kamala’s potential connection to the Quantum Realm and time travel after the series premiere, and more evidence of this theory just keeps rolling in.

    Numerous aspects of Ms. Marvel could lean in this direction. A major theory suggests that the bangle that activated her powers is, in fact, a quantum band, which derives its powers from the Quantum Realm. There were hints of time travel via Kamala’s visions, and it could be important to remember that her comic powers operated based on constant time-traveling on a molecular level.

    What we now know about Kamala’s origins and family history in Ms. Marvel is that her great-grandmother, Aisha, was a “Clandestine” or “Djinn.” While the “Djinn” designation turned out to be more of a red herring based on what we learned in Episode 4, we also know that the Clandestines come from the Noor Dimension, which is separated from the main reality by a veil of energy. Najma and her gang want Kamala to break through that veil, but it has been made clear that if she were to do so, the Noor Dimension would overtake and destroy Kamala’s reality.

    We do not know much about the Noor Dimension other than that supernatural beings, identified in the past as “Djinn”, came from it and that Clandestines and the Red Daggers can sense the Noor energy that Kamala draws from the other dimension. In the MCU, we know about a few realms. Asgard is a great example, and it is even referenced in Episode 4 to help explain the Noor Dimension. Another “realm” we have heard of is the Quantum Realm, which is certainly creeping in as a major player in the future of the MCU.

    As we know from Avengers: Endgame, the Quantum Realm, and quantum energy were the backbones of time travel. What Episode 4 possibly re-emphasizes is Kamala’s connection to time travel. By the end of Episode 4, Kamala seems very much in the 1940s in India after her bangle was attacked and went haywire. While it is not entirely clear yet whether she is actually, physically present there, the ending shots of the episode certainly made it easy to make that conclusion. Obviously, Episode 5 will keep her in that space for the purpose of explaining and resolving Aisha’s mysterious storyline, which is profoundly connected to the exact period Kamala is now in.

    Still worth noting, Ms. Marvel has had quite the number of Ant-Man references. Obviously, Scott Lang and Hank Pym are the characters most associated with the Quantum Realm, and we next expect to see Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. “Quantumania” alone should set the expectations for how important the Quantum Realm will be, but that film will also star the time-travelling villain Kang the Conquerer. Following Loki, the Kang Easter egg in Moon Knight, and Phase 4’s focus on the multiverse, Kang is very much set up to potentially be the next MCU saga’s Big Bad.

    Overall, there’s enough evidence to form the theory that Kamala is utilizing some of the same general concepts that we have already been introduced to in the MCU. If the Noor Dimension is actually the Quantum Realm, that major piece of the universe would be served by being better developed in Ms. Marvel. It also could make Kamala’s story more interesting than if the Noor Dimension was a completely original concept that gets limited to her origin story and not much else. Obviously, there is more nuance to why Kamala or Aisha can utilize the bangle while others, like the Clandestines, cannot. We will likely learn virtually all of this information in the next episode, as all MCU DIsney+ series love spending the majority of their penultimate episodes resolving every mystery or question, and ultimately setting the hero up for the final battle fully embracing their identity.

    The first four episodes of Ms. Marvel are now streaming on Disney+.

  • Nexstar Nearing Deal to Take Over Majority of CW Network Alongside Its $100M+ Losses

    Nexstar Nearing Deal to Take Over Majority of CW Network Alongside Its $100M+ Losses

    It’s not been too long ago since the first news arrived that Warner Bros. Discovery was continuing its dismantling of the original structure, such as selling the CW Network. Now, it seems that Nextar Media Group who owns a slew of local television stations, is eyeing to take over the majority of the program. Accoridng to the Wall Street Journal, they aren’t even going to pay cash for it but rather will cover a significant part of its losses, which supposedly are above $100M currently.

    WSJ does point out that the deal isn’t final and could fall apart but we would know within the next few weeks. Surprisingly, Warner Bros. Discovery will still remain a shareholder with a 12.5% stake, the same amount that Paramount is going to keep. CBS and WB are still planning on creating content for CW, but Nexstar is eyeing to expand with other producers while the minority owners keep the content-licensing revenue from pre-existing deals such as their very lucrative Netflix dealings.

    It should be noted that Nexstar is already the largest owner, but this would give them almost full control over future ventures. The big focus will be to expand its target audience, as the CW broadcaster generally built its dynamic around teen-focused dramas such as Riverdale, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and many more. CW was never truly seen as profitable, but the Netflix deal became one of its biggest sellers that it managed to carry a network even with direct income losses from ad revenue. the broadcaster was famous for renewing series that seemingly had no audience, while their dramas entered the top 10 in the U.S. on Netflix. So, we’ll have to see if the deal comes together in the coming weeks.

    Source: WSJ

  • Tim Allen Shares Thought on Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ Spinoff ‘Lightyear’ Was Live-Action

    Tim Allen Shares Thought on Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ Spinoff ‘Lightyear’ Was Live-Action

    Tim Allen has been busy with a new Disney+ original series acting as the continuation of his merry Santa Clause franchise. Having made his name with the Home Improvement series, he also became a household name for many kids when he took on the voice of Buzz Lightyear. There has been a surprising controversy surrounding Pixar’s new film, Lightyear, which takes a look at the film that would inspire Andy to buy Allen‘s Buzz toy. Chris Evans took over the voice of the character.

    While promoting his new series More Power for the History Channel, which sees him reunite with his Home Improvement co-stars Richard Karn and April Wilkerson, he got a chance to share his thoughts on the new Pixar film where he simply highlights that it’s very much its own thing, especially as Woody isn’t involved in any way.

    This is a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies. There’s really no ‘Toy Story,’ Buzz without Woody. It just doesn’t seem to have any connection to the toy.

    Tim Allen

    It kind of would’ve been fun to see Woody and Buzz in a hyper-realistic take on the original Toy Story. Allen even went on to highlight that he originally expected it to be a live-action story which would’ve been an interesting direction to take the project. Still, it’s a unique story told with a different team behind it and is the inspiration for the popular Buzz Lightyear toy line. So, it’s no wonder that they’d also have a different voice for the character.

    Source: ExtraTV

  • ‘Godzilla’ Spinoff Series Adds 5 to its Cast

    ‘Godzilla’ Spinoff Series Adds 5 to its Cast

    Apple TV+ and Legendary Television’s untitled Godzilla and the Titans series is adding to its cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski have all joined the cast of the monster series. The series is set in the aftermath of the battle between Godzilla and the Titans in San Francisco and follows a family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets that link them to the organization, Monarch. It is also directly connected to Legendary’s Monterverse.

    Sawai is playing Cate, a teacher and G-Day survivor who travels to Japan to settle family affairs. During her trip, however, she ends up uncovering a secret. Watabe is playing Kentaro, an intelligent, creative, and curious young man eager to learn more about his father. Clemons is playing May, an American expatriate who uses a roguish exterior to protect herself and others. Tippet is set to play Tim, an office worker who dreams of going on a secret agent adventure, while Laswoski plays Duvall, an expert agent with unwavering confidence in herself and what she can do.

    Matt Shakman, who was behind Marvel Studios’ WandaVision, is set to direct the first two episodes of Godzilla and the Titans and also serve as an executive producer on the series. The still-untitled series hails from Chris Black (Outcast) and Matt Fraction (Hawkeye), who co-created the series; Black will also serve as the showrunner on the series.

    Source: THR

  • RUMOR: Ubisoft’s ‘Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’ Game Eyeing November Release

    RUMOR: Ubisoft’s ‘Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’ Game Eyeing November Release

    There hasn’t been a lot of news on the teased open-world game that’ll take place on the world of Pandora, which we were first introduced to in the 2009 film Avatar. James Cameron‘s sci-fi epic revealed a new race of humanoid cat-like aliens known as the Na’vi. The Ubisoft-developed game was first revealed a year ago in June but never got an official release date, which may have changed.

    Leaker Tom Henderson has released a tweet in regard to when God of War: Ragnarok may find its way to PlayStations. Supposedly there was a reveal planned for the day to confirm a 2022 release, which hasn’t come together. While speculating on its release, he revealed that the game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will potentially release on November 18th.

    The game will let you explore pandora as a Na’vi from a 1st-person perspective. The only other detail that is known is that the game will be open-world but we haven’t heard from the game in over a year. So, a new trailer has been long overdue and hopefully, we may find out more in the coming weeks, which is being developed by Ubisoft.

    As this is a leak, we’ll have to take it with a grain of salt. If it is indeed released in November, we may get an official trailer confirming the release in the coming months. The timing also works to build into the release of Avatar: The Way of Water which will be the first sequel of the original film since 2009. So, the franchise is making a comeback in a big way.

    You can check out the original trailer here:

    Source: Twitter