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  • Aaron Taylor-Johnson Teases Sony’s New Take on ‘Kraven the Hunter’

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson Teases Sony’s New Take on ‘Kraven the Hunter’

    We’ve all scratched our heads when Sony once again continued its goal of expanding the Spider-Man rogue’s gallery without the webhead’s direct involvement. While El Muerto is still the most surprising choice, Aaron Taylor-Johnson will also take on the role of Kraven the Hunter. Now that the famous hunter doesn’t have his iconic prey, it does seem like they’re taking a different direction with the character. Luckily in an interview with Variety, Taylor-Johnson offered some insight.

    While calling Kraven “Spider-Man’s number one rival” but highlights that what makes him stand out is that he’s “not an alien, or a wizard. He’s just a hunter, a human with conviction. An animal lover and a protector of the natural world. He’s a very, very cool character.” He also highlights that the character is more of an anti-hero which we saw in the past with the character’s development in the past.

    The big reveal is that this version of Kraven is “an animal lover and a protector of the natural world.” As such, he may no longer be the “hunter” in the traditional sense and has put his focus on taking down others that harm animals. It’s definitely a departure from the character’s usual origin and it’ll be interesting to see how he brings him to life on the silver screen. Plus, there’s the tease of how it may all tie together with the post-credit sequence of Morbius, as the “human with conviction” might need a few tweaks to be inspired in taking down a human dressed as a spider.

    Source: Variety

  • Illumination’s President Praises Chris Pratt’s Performance as Mario

    Illumination’s President Praises Chris Pratt’s Performance as Mario

    When the news hit that Chris Pratt was going to voice Mario, many were a bit surprised by the choice. The cast generally led to quite a few reactions with a stacked cast including Jack Black as Bowser and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. It didn’t help matters that Pratt was cast for an upcoming animated Garfield film, which added to the jokes that any animated character could be voiced by the Guardians of the Galaxy actor.

    In an interview with Animation Magazine, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri had a lot of praise for his performance, as he went on to highlight that many of the criticism will be mute once they get to see his performance in action.

    When people hear Chris Pratt’s performance, the criticism will evaporate, maybe not entirely — people love to voice opinions, as they should. I’m not sure this is the smartest defense, but as a person who has Italian-American heritage, I feel I can make that decision without worrying about offending Italians or Italian-Americans… I think we’re going to be just fine.

    Chris Pratt

    It definitely is still a curious casting, especially when the character of Mario has such an iconic voice. Charles Martinet voiced the character since 1992 and is confirmed to appear in the upcoming animated film. Yet, it simply seems odd not to use the man who defined the character all those years ago if they’re going for an animated project, to begin with. We’ll have to wait and see what the project has to offer once the first trailer arrives.

    Source: Animation Magazine

  • ‘Sherlock Holmes 3’ Director Confirms Pandemic Derailed Film

    ‘Sherlock Holmes 3’ Director Confirms Pandemic Derailed Film

    If there’s one case Sherlock Holmes can’t seem to solve, it’s how to get the third movie in theaters. Before Benedict Cumberbatch‘s hit BBC series became the fan-favorite version of the famed character’s world, fellow Marvel star Robert Downey Jr. enjoyed a brief period as the great detective. The former Iron Man actor co-starred with Jude Law as Holmes and his partner John Watson in 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, both directed by Guy Ritchie in his signature style.

    The sequel left off with a literal question mark, with Downey Jr.‘s Sherlock having just faked his death in a duel with Jared Harris‘ evil Professor Moriarty. It seemed the doors were wide open for a third installment to be made, but for one reason after another, a threequel never materialized. In 2019, director Dexter Fletcher was announced as the man taking over for Ritchie, with a third movie entering production after years of rumors and comments from the franchise stars about wanting to return. Unfortunately, nothing ever came of this. In a recent interview with Collider, Fletcher revealed the global pandemic is to blame:

    The pandemic derailed it. I do think it will get made. I think it has to be made. I don’t know what the timeline of that is, unfortunately, but I believe it should be. It’s fantastic. I think it’s about all the right people being at the right place, at the right time. I think it’s that. It’s one of those cruel twists of fate, where the pandemic hit and that scattered people around the world to the wind. But I know that the appetite is huge for it, and I’m sure there are other people acutely aware of that as well. But I believe it should be because it’s brilliant. I very much hope so.

    Dexter Fletcher

    At least the Rocketman filmmaker seems hopeful that Sherlock Holmes 3 will still happen. The fan desire is still there for another adventure, and the charismatic Downey Jr. is due for his return to leading franchise films. Until then, catch Fletcher‘s latest project The Offer, a new series about the making of The Godfather, on Paramount+.

    Source: Collider

  • Paramount+ Series ‘WOLF PACK’ Adds Four To Cast

    Paramount+ Series ‘WOLF PACK’ Adds Four To Cast

    Deadline is reporting that the streaming service has cast Armani Jackson (Honor Society), Bella Shepard (The Wilds), Chloe Rose Robertson (Wildflower) and Tyler Lawrence Gray (Our Town) in the forthcoming series. Wolf Pack, based on the books by author Edo Van Belkom, will be executive produced by Teen Wolf’s Jeff Davis.

    The series follows Everett, played by Jackson, and Blake (Shepard), two young teenagers who soon find their lives have been changed forever following a California wildfire that awakens a terrifying supernatural creature. Production on the series will kick off next week in Atlanta, with the series expected to debut on Paramount+ later this year.

    This marks the second big Paramount+ production for Davis who also serves as a writer on the series as well as an executive producer. Davis’ Teen Wolf: The Movie recently wrapped production and is slated to debut later this year on Paramount+. Along with Davis, Joe Genier serves as an executive producer, while Mike Elliot is a co-executive producer for Capital Arts. Jason Ensler (Love, Victor) directed the pilot episode and will also receive an executive producer credit.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘MS. MARVEL’ Director Speaks Out On The Importance Of Representation

    ‘MS. MARVEL’ Director Speaks Out On The Importance Of Representation

    In a brand-new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Meera Menon took some time to discuss the importance of Ms. Marvel and getting to work on it. She also compared it to her last Marvel job – directing an episode of The Punisher for Netflix. For Menon, Ms. Marvel was something special that she needed to be a part of in some shape or form. “I just wanted to be a part of it in any way, so I let [Marvel Studios] know right off the bat that it meant a lot to me to see that form of representation.”

    While the director notes it feels like a long time she’s worked on the Punisher, she seems happy to see them both on Disney+ now. “It feels like I did [The Punisher] so long ago. It wasn’t that long ago [Jan. 18, 2019], but it just goes to show how quickly things change in terms of platforms.”

    Of course, going from The Punisher to Ms. Marvel is a bit of a stretch – no pun intended. So, how did Menon manage to snag the job? “I made it clear that from the minute I first read the comics, I was like, “Whenever they do anything with this, I hope I’m in the arena. I hope I’m in relative proximity to the arena, to be in the room to be considered for this.” I just wanted to be a part of it in any way.”

    While Menon seems to have enjoyed working on The Punisher, Ms. Marvel has quickly become her favorite project she’s directed because of how she relates to it. “It was seeing something akin to my sense of my own upbringing, and it just felt so meaningful to know that there was a piece of pop culture out there that was so reflective of my own upbringing in so many ways.”

    Menon, of course, took over directing duties for episode two of Ms. Marvel, following the premiere episode from Adil and Bilall. While there was a set look and feel established by the duo, Menon was also able to further build upon what they’d already established. “There were things that were really clear from their episode that we could continue, like certain aspects of the animation and camera movement, but there were other things that were unique to this episode and the next episode that we had to start from scratch with,” she explained. “It all started from a place that Adil and Bilall built.”

    With Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy also hired to direct episode(s) of Ms. Marvel, it’ll be interesting to see how the directors continue to build off of one another’s work.

    The third episode of Ms. Marvel’s season will hit Disney+ this Wednesday. For now, fans can enjoy the first two episodes on Disney+.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

  • Scout Comics Adapting ‘Midnight Western Theatre’ for TV

    Scout Comics Adapting ‘Midnight Western Theatre’ for TV

    Scout Comics and Oren Segal’s Management Production Entertainment have joined forces to develop an adaptation of Louis Southard’s comic book, Midnight Western Theatre. The series, which is published by Scout Comics, will be developed for the small screen with Kevin Carroll set to tackle the adaptation.

     “I was instantly drawn to the world of Midnight Western Theatre, with its razor-sharp wit and ingenious premise,” Carroll said in a statement to Deadline. “It blends the grittiness of a classic Spaghetti Western with the pulse-pounding elements of Gothic Horror. It’s a big, expansive world, populated with creepy creatures and demonic cultists. And at its core, a charming, endearing, heartbreaking story of two friends who have each other’s backs, no matter what.”

    Midnight Western Theatre, which marks Southard’s second comic, tells the story of Red Tom and his deadly posse who have laid claim to the once-prosperous town of Liberty Springs. When two black-clad, supernatural strangers arrive out of the blue, Red Tom and his posse find themselves on the defense as they try to enjoy their apparent short-lived victory The comic book series features artwork from David Hahn, who has illustrated titles such as Bite Club and its sequel, Bite Club: Vampire Crime Unit.

    Scout Comics & Entertainment, which was founded in 2015, signed with Mosaic’s management division back in 2020 to help manage its film & tv expansion. Since then, the publisher has announced an adaptation of multiple titles, including Tray Walker and Hoyt Silva’s Last Stop and Unikorn by Don Handfield, Joshua Malkin and Rafael Loureiro. 

    Source: Deadline

  • Latest ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Image Offers a Closer Look at Mantis’ New Design

    Latest ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Image Offers a Closer Look at Mantis’ New Design

    We’ve known for a while that Thor: Love and Thunder would continue where Avengers: Endgame left us off. Thor is out of shape and joining the Guardians of the Galaxy on whatever mission they find themselves. It’s still unclear what exactly their role might be in the sequel, but the first trailers have teased that they’ll be struggling a bit with their Asgardian member doing his own thing.

    We got a good look at the cast in the last trailer and the Guardians had a prominent part. Now, a few new images have found their way online that tease Thor and Jane Foster’s new look. Yet, we also got a new and closer look at Mantis’ design, which is once again played by Pom Klementieff. We don’t know how much she’ll be featured and if she’ll have the same costume in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but it looks like most of her design has remained intact from previous entries.

    It’s definitely not as green as previous films were, but it does seem like the lighting of this scene is hinting that her hair has gotten a bit more green. Star-Lord is also featured with his new beard, which seems a bit Thor-inspired. He’s wearing a much bigger version of his iconic jacket, but we know he’ll wear some more comic-accurate costumes in the upcoming sequel as revealed from a few set photos. So, who knows for how long we’ll still see Chris Pratt in a variation of his iconic red jacket moving forward.

    Source: Total Film

  • Den Den Murphy Episode 22 – Chapter 1052

    Den Den Murphy Episode 22 – Chapter 1052

    Fezzy returns, as he joins Suki and Joe to take a closer look at all the great things that Chapter 1052 of One Piece has to offer, as well as discuss what the future has in store ahead of the final chapter before the series goes on a four-week hiatus.

  • Ewan McGregor Isn’t Done With Obi-Wan Kenobi Just Yet

    Ewan McGregor Isn’t Done With Obi-Wan Kenobi Just Yet

    Obi-Wan Kenobi was the first series from Lucasfilm that was highlighted as a limited series. There was much time when head writer Deborah Chow confirmed that the project was conceived with a specific story in mind. Yet, while she’s remained very strict with that approach, Ewan McGregor has a different opinion. He actually would want to return as Obi-Wan Kenobi one more time in a future project.

    I hope it’s not the last time I play him. I had such a great time doing this, I’m sure we can think of a few more stories before I turn into Alec Guinness, don’t you think?

    Ewan McGregor

    Similar to how Hayden Christensen also was hinted at making a return in Ahsoka, it seems that their grand return to the Star Wars franchisee won’t just be a one-off. It’s unclear of the storyline may set up a future where he finds himself in a new environment or we take a look during his heyday before the Empire took over. There’s a lot of wiggle room, and while it would be great to see the franchise expand into new territory. So, we’ll see where the future is leading them and if we’ll see McGregor sooner rather than later.

    Source: Radio Times

  • Marvel Studios President Teases MCU’s New Saga Will Become Clearer Soon

    Marvel Studios President Teases MCU’s New Saga Will Become Clearer Soon

    Many have been wondering what exactly the current Marvel Cinematic Universe Saga has been about. Phase 4 of the long-running franchise took a few new turns to keep things fresh while also introducing a variety of characters that seemingly have no direct correlation. Yet, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige promises that all will be made clear very soon, especially as Phase 4 is nearing its end.

    As we’re nearing the end of Phase 4, I think people will start to see where this next saga is going. I think there have been many clues already, that are at least apparent to me, of where this whole saga is going. But we’ll be a little more direct about that in the coming months, to set a plan, so audiences who want to see the bigger picture can see a tiny, tiny, tiny bit more of the roadmap.

    Kevin Feige

    So, not only will we get a look at the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also looks like we’ll get an idea of where exactly the current phase is heading. Many arrows are pointing to Jonathan Major‘s Kang being the main antagonist, especially after Loki introduced us to his Variant and the events of the series unraveled whatever will lead to Kang the Conqueror being unleashed upon the multiverse. He also makes for the perfect choice to rewrite the franchise in case they want to reinvent it by going into a new Saga and tackling different kinds of stories moving forward.

    Source: Total Film