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  • ‘Black Adam’ Unaffected by DCEU Changes

    ‘Black Adam’ Unaffected by DCEU Changes

    It’s been a long road since Black Adam made its way to the silver screen but with a trailer finally confirming it’s just around the corner, we’re finally nearing the point of getting to see it ourselves. Of course, a lot has changed throughout the DC Extended Universe since the initial announcement yet it seems that has not affected the story that is being told by the film.

    Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia highlights how the upcoming film pretty much plays within its own little pocket of the DCEU. As such, it wasn’t affected by any major changes that were happening behind or in front of the scenes.

    Luckily, we didn’t [have to go back to the drawing board], because we’ve been functionally within our section. Basically, we knew the characters we had: we had Black Adam and JSA, and we were launching things attached to that. Our world has stayed very much intact, so even though there has been some changes, it hasn’t really affected us. That’s been a very fortunate thing. There’s been a lot going on, but we’ve been able to maintain our bubble and our lane. We continue to build it out.

    Hiram Garcia

    They lucked out that they have the opportunity to introduce the Justice Society of America and aren’t dependent on the Justice League, who were affected the most by the changes. We still don’t know if he’ll eventually team up or face other heroes from across the DC Universe, especially with his close ties to Shazam but they may be keeping that in their back pocket until the film releases. Shazam: Fury of the Gods is also set to release this year, which may have some tie-in with Black Adam, but we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • Dwayne Johnson is 100% Committed to Building the DC Universe

    Dwayne Johnson is 100% Committed to Building the DC Universe

    Dwayne Johnson has been hyping up the arrival of Black Adam for years, and now it looks like he’s in it for the long run. After nearly a decade of development on Black Adam, whose live-action presence was first conceived as being the villain of Shazam! before shifting to a solo spin-off instead, Johnson is ready to make the character his own.

    The wrestler-turned-actor-turned-renaissance man revealed in a recent interview with Comic Book that he is “100% committed” to sticking around as the violent anti-hero for years to come. Not only that, but he’s willing to help build the entire DC Universe as well:

    I am 100% committed to not only Black Adam but then expanding the Black Adam universe, the DC universe. I am an optimist from the word, ‘Go.’ So, to me and to all of us up here, all universes exist in our heads. I will, we all will, work very hard to make sure we are honoring the mythology but also giving the fans what they want. I hear the fans, we all do, and I pick up everything they’re putting down. It doesn’t get by me, it doesn’t get by these guys [producer Hiram Garcia, producer Beau Flynn, director Jaume Collet-Serra]. This is the beginning, hopefully, fingers crossed, of a very long storytelling road that Black Adam is the anchoring jet fuel now that will then push and press this universe out.

    Dwayne Johnson

    The DC Extended Universe, or DCEU for short, has experienced some tumultuous growth in the past few years. Starting as a cinematic world crafted by Zack Snyder, several critical flops led to a tonal rebranding that featured more colorful and comedic projects like James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, and the aforementioned Shazam!.

    The past couple of weeks have seen more changes in leadership, so perhaps the company could use someone of Johnson‘s caliber to assist in setting things straight. Black Adam appears to have the makings of a bona fide hit, and time will tell if the film’s vision is worth expanding into other projects.

    Source: Comic Book

  • ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Eyeing $325M+ Opening Weekend Worldwide

    ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Eyeing $325M+ Opening Weekend Worldwide

    Top Gun Maverick and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have reinvigorated the box office, as we are slowly nearing the usual developments from before the pandemic shook up the world. Now, a third film is eyeing a massive opening weekend as early projects have Jurassic World Dominion eyeing a domestic $125M+ opening weekend with a release within 4,600+ theaters. On top of that, it will add $120M+ worldwide. So far, it has already earned $55.7M in specific territories.

    Colin Trevorrow is taking over the third entry of the Jurassic World franchise after J.A. Bayona took over for the Fallen Kingdom. While the opening with $125M+ is strong, it’s only the third-best opening for the franchise as the first entry opened to $208.8M back in 2015 before its first sequel took in $148M three years later. The original Jurassic World dominated the box office back in the day and it was overtaken by Star Wars: Force Awakens half a year later.

    The big selling point for the new entry is naturally the return of legacy actors Sam Neil, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. While Goldblum was sold as returning in the last entry, he only had a brief role at the end of the film. This time around, all three will have bigger roles this time around. It was one of the few films that started production during the pandemic and had faced some delays due to positive COVID tests. It took them 100 days to finish production.

    Generally, it seems that Jurassic World: Dominion is facing similar developments as Top Gun Maverick, but it’ll be interesting to see if it can even compete with the legs that the jet-fueled blockbuster. Speaking of, that film might face its biggest decline with a predicted 50% to fall to $45M. Yet, its word-of-mouth has been powerful and with Dominion getting some mixed reviews, it may have a stronger hold once again. Luckily, the older target audience for the Tom Cruise film might not bite too much into each other’s box office but is also one of the core reasons for its longevity, as an inactive movie-going audience is making up for its absence for the last few years.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Black Adam’ Producer Teases “Real Violence” That is “Rough and Gruesome”

    ‘Black Adam’ Producer Teases “Real Violence” That is “Rough and Gruesome”

    There was some uncertainty about just how brutal the upcoming adaptation of Black Adam will be. Yet, the first trailer drop certainly confirmed that he’ll have a darker turn as he’s a hero that isn’t scared of killing off anyone who stands in his way. Dwayne Johnson is usually an actor that has stuck primarily to pushing the PG-13 rating but it looks like the upcoming film will remain for all four quadrants but will offer “real violence” according to its producer Beau Flynn.

    Just from the experience of all the Dwayne Johnson movies we’ve been privileged to be part of, we’re a four quadrant. I mean, we really like to service all demos, all ages, but we had to be authentic to Black Adam and we had to really push,” Flynn said. “The violence is real and it can be rough and gruesome in places, but I think the audience will be okay. I think the kids will be okay. There is a huge heart in this movie. And at the same time, you have to have fun. You have to have joy in these movies. And I think even when you see the trailer, you see, there’s like even the palette, the colors, the world, it’s not as dark as some other movies, but it still has some dark undertones. And I think that’s important. The tone I think is what I’m really most proud of with the film. That’s hard. Tone is hard.

    Beau Flynn

    So, if you were worried that it wouldn’t live up to the standards of Black Adam’s usual violence in the comics, you’ll be in for a treat. The first trailer did tease that some more fun shenanigans will also be at play but the one guy he punched into the ocean might not have survived that enforced travel. We’ll see if future trailers tease more of the action that is heading our way and if it truly can hold a candle to what they promise.

    Source: ComicBook

  • RUMOR: New Leak Hints at Hideo Kojima’s Next Game

    RUMOR: New Leak Hints at Hideo Kojima’s Next Game

    It looks like Hideo Kojima is returning to his horror roots. After his more experimental game, Death Stranding, a new article by Try Hard Guides seemingly hints at what may be the next entry of Kojima Production’s gaming slate. There have been rumors on what might be their next game, such as a potential revival of Silent Hills or even Norman Reedus confirming a sequel is being worked on for their first game. Yet, it seems an original project is on the way.

    Try Hard Guides claims that they have seen footage of a game starring Margaret Qualley, who played Mama in Death Stranding, wearing a blue dress and walking through dark corridors. It seems she is holding a flashlight and it ends with a “GAMEOVER” before the title is revealed, Overdose. Supposedly, they have been in talks with publishing their next game over on Xbox which hasn’t been verified yet and theories are that the next reveal will be during Summer Game Fest.

    The creator of the event, Geoff Keighley, is close friends with Kojima and even appeared in the last game. Many are expecting big announcements and it’s been three years since the release of Death Stranding. So, it wouldn’t be too surprising if they already are ready to announce their next project sometime soon. Without an E3 this year, SGF seems like the perfect time to tease what the future has in store for us.

    Source: Try Hard Guides

  • ‘Black Adam’ and ‘Shazam’ Were Originally One Film

    ‘Black Adam’ and ‘Shazam’ Were Originally One Film

    After a long wait, the Black Adam trailer has finally arrived Dwayne Johnson‘s dream project of taking on the role of Theo-Adam is finally revealed to the world. The trailer gives us a quick recap of his origin and teases his eventual battle with, or perhaps against, the Justice Society of America. Yet, it turns out that the original plan was for him to appear in the Shazam film, which would’ve actually been the origin of both. We did get a brief tease, but Johnson offered some insight into their initial plans.

    The original plan, maybe five or six years ago I think, was to tell the two origin stories of Shazam! and Black Adam in the same movie. That’s what we had worked on. The script was delivered. When we all read the script, I immediately felt like, ‘We have to separate these two movies. We have to honor Shazam! and that origin story and what that is and what that can be for the fans and then we also have to tell our story, too, as well.’ I think in separating them, with the majority of the world not knowing who Black Adam if you weren’t a serious comic book fan, it was important I think to separate them and tell each story respectively.

    Producer Beau Flynn also recalls what it was like when he and Hiram Garcia got the call from Johnson that they would turn Black Adam into its own separate project rather than just have both these properties smashed together.

    I got a phone call very early in the morning from Dwayne Johnson which is always very intimidating. He called Hiram and I, he just said, ‘Brothers. We’re gonna make Black Adam. We’re gonna tell this story. It’s so big and so important,’ and that was it. It was really an amazing… Dwayne’s instincts are so extraordinary but he was right. Again, we were deep in it and developing that script with both of them and there’s a reason why sometimes in our business sometimes you have to keep moving forward and sometimes the business tells you. We weren’t really cracking it. It wasn’t really working and then that’s when that call came through and everything changed.

    Beau Flynn

    It’s certainly interesting to get a look behind the scenes and find out how films were originally pitched. The move was definitely smart as it gave the films a unique opportunity to build up a special crossover while also giving their respective (anti-)heroes time to find their footing in the world.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • REVIEW: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Part 4

    REVIEW: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Part 4

    We’re already more than halfway through the limited series focusing on Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s story before his eventual final confrontation with Darth Vader. The fourth episode picks up right where the last one kept us, as Reva got her hands on Leia and Obi-Wan ended up getting a bit burnt by his former Padawan. As he seeks to save her from whatever the Empire has planned for the young girl, he seeks a find a way to get her out of the Inquisitor’s home base. Yet, can it build up from the highpoint that was last week’s first confrontation between former master and padawan?

    The opening is a powerful one by having Kenobi in a Bacta tank (The Book of Boba Fett is going to sue) echoing the experiences of Anakin. As he was also burned by his former protégé and now going through a similar, even if brief, experience, there’s something powerful about the parallels the show is pulling. The former Jedi Master’s journey generally has been one faced with hardship and him trying everything he can to save Leia was heartwarming, especially after the bond they built in the last episode.

    It’s a surprisingly short episode with barely 40 minutes, and it goes by quite fast. Kenobi uses the help of some smugglers that help out Jedi younglings to safety to break into the Inquisitors’ home base known as Inquisitorius. Together with Indira Varma‘s Tala, he sets out to find some way to save Leia as he takes some cues from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order where Cal Kestis also used an underwater passage to enter the area.

    The backdrop of Inquisitorius was great, as the slick design offered some visually stunning sequences. Plus, Obi-Wan trying to sneak around is not something I expected in the show. The big highlight was that after being “forced” to pull his lightsaber in the last episode, he’s slowly embracing it more and more. Ewan McGregor continues to highlight the inner turmoil without much dialogue.

    Varma‘s Tala is a great addition, and we’re slowly uncovering the first sparks of rebellion to face the Empire. The ending moments especially highlight that very development and there was some fun with the last-minute save. Though the show still sometimes struggles with action sequences as the way it was shot, it looked a bit off when the two ships came rushing in as it cuts before they slow down creating the illusion they just rammed into the spire’s landing zone. Still, the emotional moment was surprisingly gripping and the line of them becoming soldiers highlights that this is indeed what would become the Rebels one day.

    The lightsaber sequences were a highlight though this time around. It’s strange that it took this long for anyone to actually use darkness in combination with a lightsaber to make them stand out even more, but the lighting effects were beautifully done. A small detail that was well hidden is that the more he used his lightsaber, the more fluid Obi-Wan’s movements got highlighting that he’s slowly regaining his old self. I wouldn’t be surprised if his final battle is him doing the same flips he did in the Prequel trilogy.

    Reva gets quite the spotlight and it doesn’t seem like they are going down a redemption arc with her character. Ingram gives a great performance and her character highlights the more traditional understanding of a Sith. Potentially her arrogance might be the eventual undoing of the Inquisitors, to begin with, but we’ll see. She pretty much dominated the Sith side, as Vader had a much smaller role this time around but he does know how to make an entrance as per usual. Fifth Brother also mostly appears at random times to be annoyed by his co-worker.

    Overall, the episode pushes the story forward and seemingly sets up the final arc as we’re building up to another showdown between Obi-Wan and Vader. The show’s pacing is generally a bit more relaxed and it was surprising on how fast the new episode moved. Outside of the flight sequence, the action was much stronger this time around and it’s going to be exciting to see where the series is heading in its final two episodes. While it isn’t a mind-blowing show, there’s a strong emotional core and great character development at play. Here’s hoping that it pulls it all together by the end of the series.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ May Have Teased a Connection to Time Travel and the Quantum Realm

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ May Have Teased a Connection to Time Travel and the Quantum Realm

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest hero Kamala Khan has arrived in Ms. Marvel. There has been plenty of discussion about the changes made to the character’s origins and powers from the comics. But one of the positive outcomes of the changes so far is that they allow for a mystery to play out in the Disney+ series.

    It’s already been pointed out that her bangle that seems to have activated Kamala’s powers may actually be similar to the Quantum Bands from the comics. Using evidence from Episode 1, we can theorize about her powers and their implications in the MCU even more. Of course, in the comics, Quantum Bands derive energy from the Quantum Zone—MCU fans would recognize its live-action parallel, the Quantum Realm. Established in the Ant-Man franchise, the Quantum Realm was the key to time travel as seen in Avengers: Endgame. But other than the Quantum Bands theory, what evidence is there that Kamala Khan has anything to do with the Quantum Realm or time-travel in the MCU?

    In the comics, Ms. Marvel’s powers function because her molecules time travel when she embiggens and shapeshiftes. Ms. Marvel comics revealed that Kamala has access to some sort of temporal vortex that allows her to borrow and lend her atoms across time. While her MCU powers in Ms. Marvel are significantly different, there’s no reason that this connection to time travel would need to be removed from Kamala’s powers’ characteristics. Considering she projects some sort of crystallized light from nowhere, a similar explanation could easily work for her new powers.

    An important moment in Episode 1 occurs when her bangle appears to activate when she first puts it on at AvengerCon. After she is surrounded by some glowy energy field, her eyes change color and there is a cool shot where she seems to fall backward in a circle through a strange purple-hued environment. There are human-like figures there, though they appear to have large glowing eyes and it is difficult to make anything out. This could have been some type of vision, but it also could have been Ms. Marvel’s first trip through time.

    Considering her family history is at play, it could have been a very stylized depiction of an event her ancestors went through. Considering her Pakistani heritage and the fact that the scene looked like a large group of people traveling in one direction, Partition in 1947 may have been a major event that affected her family. Perhaps an ancestor with a connection to Kamala’s powers is trying to pull her back for some reason or the connection itself is doing so. A further stretch could be that she passed through the Quantum Realm itself, and the reason the figures looked odd is that they were not human. If you want to stretch it even further, the purple is reminiscent of the iconic color of Kang the Conqueror. The future Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania villain is a time-traveler and some fans believe he may rule a city in the Quantum Realm called Chronopolis. 

    To be fair, the fact that no one around her experienced that wild moment suggests that the easy explanation is that it was a vision or hallucination. But, considering the fact the Kamala in the comics was always connected to a temporal vortex and constantly time-traveled without even trying, a connection to the Quantum Realm or quantum energy could allow for her to look like she had not left AvengerCon. As Scott Lang himself said, “time works differently in the Quantum Realm”. Or, more simply, she could have essentially been in two places at once. While some of these thoughts are bit more technical and complex than Kamala or Ms. Marvel seems so far, it is worth noting that the Disney+ series hired a theoretical physicist who worked on Endgame’s time-travel elements. 

    The first episode of Ms. Marvel is now streaming on Disney+.

  • New ‘Ghostbusters’ Animated Series Heading to Netflix

    New ‘Ghostbusters’ Animated Series Heading to Netflix

    It looks like Netflix isn’t quite done with acquiring as many iconic IPs as it can. Variety has broken the news that a new Ghostbusters animated series is heading to the streaming service. Not only that but Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan of Ghost Corps, Inc. are joining as executive producers. They just recently worked on the live-action Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which Reitman also directed.

    As is usual, there are no exact details given on what the plot will be about or even who it will focus on, as there’s no word if it might pay tribute to the ABC animated series The Real Ghostbusters that ran from 1986 to 1991 or be its own thing. There was also the sequel, Extreme Ghostbusters, that had a completely new lineup of characters.

    It does seem likely that the new series will be its own thing with new characters. The announcement was also timed with the annual Ghostbusters Day, where rumors have it we’ll get more announcements regarding the future of the iconic franchise from Reitman and Kenan. So, we’ll see if we might even get a first look at this new series or even a tease of what to expect from its live-action ventures with no official sequel announced yet for Afterlife.

    Source: Variety

  • 2006’s ‘Silent Hill’ Director Tackling a New Entry in the Franchise, Eyeing 2023 Release

    2006’s ‘Silent Hill’ Director Tackling a New Entry in the Franchise, Eyeing 2023 Release

    Here’s a rather interesting surprise, but it looks like the director of 2006’s Silent Hill film is returning to tackle a new entry. Christophe Gans has been mentioned in an article by Jeux Video, where his involvement with a new adaptation of the iconic horror franchise has been confirmed. In the interview, he reveals that he was inspired during COVID to write two scripts, one of which is for his upcoming adaptation. That’s not all, as he is also seemingly eyeing a 2023 release of the film, which will be an independent release from the previous two entries. The following quote from Gans has been translated by Twitter user @LordEmmerich.

    I’m currently working on it. There were the COVID-19 years, which finally forced us to stay at home. I took the opportunity to write two scripts. The script for a new Silent Hill movie is totally independent of the two previous movies made and respects the way Silent Hill has evolved. Most of the time, these are stand-alone stories. Silent Hill is a bit like the Twilight Zone, the Fourth Dimension, a place where anything and everything can happen.

    Christophe Gans

    He goes on to highlight that it’s an adaptation for “today’s audiences” and also goes on to praise the game for being ahead of its time. With the number of rumors teasing the franchise’s return to modern consoles, it does seem like Silent Hill could be facing a renaissance soon. It’s an exciting prospect to also have a new film entry, especially with the director of the 2006 version involved.

    While 2012’s Silent Hill: Revelation wasn’t well-received, the original did eventually become a bit of a cult favorite adaptation of the games. Tackling a unique story in Silent Hill does sound like an exciting prospect to revisit the location in various ways to explore unique storylines.

    Source: Jeux Video