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  • ‘Secret Invasion’ Crew Merch Hints at the Arrival of the Skrull God

    ‘Secret Invasion’ Crew Merch Hints at the Arrival of the Skrull God

    After a bunch of photos found their way online from the Secret Invasion set, things have gone a bit cold. Yet, Twitter user @DadandLad4 has seemingly shared a baseball cap from the Disney+ series’ production. While we’re still a bit puzzled about the mysterious owl with a clock, there’s Skrull writing on the side of the baseball cap. Our team quickly took the time to analyze what it might mean and it hints at a rather interesting comic tie-in.

    The writing seemingly spells out “He Loves You.” While it seems rather strange at first, this small phrase actually has quite the comic history. It is commonly said by the Skrulls when they reference their Skrull God Kly’bn. He was actually an Eternal as the Celestials created him on the planet of Skrullos as well. What makes him important to Skrull lore is that he was the one that made a prophecy they’d find a new home. There’s an iconic moment from The Incredible Hercules #119 that references this iconic phrase, which was a tie-in to the Secret Invasion comic storyline.

    So, it seems that we might get to explore more of Skrull’s history in the upcoming Disney+ series, which is a great showcase of how the franchise is starting to expand its mythology moving forward. The owl actually has Nick Fury’s eyepatch and the green color may be connected to the Skrulls. Yet, the owl and time might have a thematic connection throughout the series and might even tie into the Skrull God Kly’bn tease, who was the one to prophecies they’d find a new home planet.

    Source: Twitter

  • Johnny Depp Was Originally Going to Co-Write ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’, Film to Be a Final Send-Off for Jack Sparrow

    Johnny Depp Was Originally Going to Co-Write ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 6’, Film to Be a Final Send-Off for Jack Sparrow

    Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are still in the middle of their legal dispute, which has given some hints to how Depp’s general business dealings have been since the allegations against him were first made. A few days ago, he revealed that he has no interest in ever returning to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after how their business relationship ended. Yet, he has now also revealed more details on the original plans for the sixth entry in the franchise.

    It seems that Depp was approached to help write Pirates of the Caribbean 6 to give his character of Jack Sparrow a fitting send-off. As he pointed out in the previous hearing on the matter, he was upset about how the relationship ended, especially given they were still selling merchandise with his face on it even after parting ways.

    I didn’t quite understand how after that long relationship and quite a successful relationship, certainly for Disney, that suddenly I was guilty until proven innocent… I, in fact, had been approached to take part in writing Pirates 6… my feeling was that these characters should be able to have their proper goodbye, as it were. A franchise can only last for so long, and there’s a way to end a franchise like that. And I thought that the characters deserved… to end their franchise on a very good note. I planned on continuing until it was time to stop.

    Johnny Depp

    As the last film ended with a post-credit sequence teasing the return of Davy Jones, they were definitely setting up a final confrontation between the two. It’s a shame that this story may never be finished, especially given how iconic the franchise has become. It definitely redefined what we expect from a pirate-based storyline. For now, we’ll have to see what the future has in store, but the main focus remains on how the court hearings between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard will end.

    Source: CBS News via ScreenRant

  • Eastern Conference Playoff Notebook

    Eastern Conference Playoff Notebook

    The NBA’s Eastern Conference Playoffs have been slightly disappointing with all series most likely ending in 5 or 6 games. To date, outside of the Brooklyn Vs. Boston series, all series have played 4 games. As we move on to the end of the first round, let’s look at the various story lines.

    The Boston Celtics Defense

    We all knew that the Celtics defense was going to be a problem for the Nets but I doubt anyone expected the Celtics to be leading 3-0 and expecting to sweep Brooklyn. The switch heavy Celtics have locked up Durant all series, forcing Durant to shoot 36% from the field (a steep drop compared to his 54% from the 2021 series). What’s the difference here? How is Boston able to achieve shutting down KD like this? Well, it’s the wing depth. Between Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford, Boston can easily switch onto Durant, quickly invading his shooting space, giving him very little space to get a clean jump shot off. It doesn’t help that the Nets are running very little back screens to even try to get KD clean looks. The consistent defensive intensity from almost everyone on the Celtics in a playoff setting is eye opening here and gives me confidence that the Celtics can make a real push here in the post season.

    Khris Middleton Injury

    Losing Khris Middleton early in the playoffs is a huge blow to the Bucks. It might not feel that way given their current opponent, but the impact will be felt if the Bucks face the Celtics in the second round. Without Middleton, the Celtics would be able to swarm Giannis, making him work for every bucket he makes. The Celtics will settle for open Bobby Portis shots if that means Giannis will be uncomfortable the whole game. The Bucks will have to make adjustments to deal with the intensity of Boston’s never-ending lineup of switchable, defensive, and athletic forwards. The Bucks coach, Mike Budenholzer is not known for making many adjustments mid series, so it will be interesting to follow how the Bucks adjust to the Celtics defense without Middleton’s extra offensive punch.

    How Far Can Embiid Go?

    Joel Embiid is currently playing with a thumb ligament tear…yeah, you read that right. Joel Embiid is playing with a ligament tear and has no plans to sit out the playoffs. The plan here is to get surgery after the playoffs and fight through the pain with the hopes of bringing the championship to Philly. This is commendable-if not silly and dangerous to his career, but still commendable. I understand the mentality as it feels like the championship window for Philadelphia is quickly closing here but it will be interesting to see if this injury gets worst or if this will have a long term impact to Joel’s NBA career

  • ‘The Batman’ is HBO Max’s Most-Watched DC Film in its First Week

    ‘The Batman’ is HBO Max’s Most-Watched DC Film in its First Week

    The Batman has seemingly set a new record for HBO Max when it joined the service back on April 18th. In its first week, Samba TV has analyzed that 4.1M households have watched the film. What makes this stand out is that it beat out many of the day-to-date releases from last year. It now has outpaced other recent DC releases The Suicide Squad (3.5M) and Wonder Woman 1984 (3.2M). Not only that, but it has also outpaced The Matrix Resurrections (3.2M) and Dune (2.3M) but still takes second place as Mortal Kombat remains at the top with 4.3M.

    Even in comparison to the original release, the film has managed to pass Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which managed to pull in 2.2M US households in its first week. It’s a big showcase of the new model, as not only did the film pull in $754M worldwide but became the service’s second most streamed film. It’ll be interesting to see if future releases will also enjoy a similar trend with the 45-day release window.

    Though, we have to keep in mind that this data is from an external analyst. They don’t include mobile views. So, the numbers could be quite a bit different and the placements may be different, but we’ll never know until the streaming services ever release the full numbers. Still, it offers us some insight into how these projects are performing and what may or may not break these newer models that are still going to dominate the market moving forward.

    Source: Deadline, Box Office Mojo

  • Latest ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Promo May Offer the First Look at the MCU’s Living Tribunal

    Latest ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Promo May Offer the First Look at the MCU’s Living Tribunal

    A new promo has just dropped for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We’ve gotten a fair bit that continue to tease what the upcoming film has to offer. So far, most of the trailers included small teasers of new footage but nothing truly internet-breaking. Well, that may be until now as we get a new segment of America Chavez and Doctor Strange falling through the multiverse which includes a deep cut from the comics.

    If you look closely, you can see the Living Tribunal in the background. While it is only his head, it’s a surprising inclusion. As we’ve seen this segment in previous trailers, they might be falling through multiple multiverses and they are just a few seconds in the same realm as the Tribunal, but his inclusion highlights that the MCU is embracing the comic elements more and more.

    Surprisingly, this isn’t our first time getting a tease of the Living Tribunal, as the last time it was in the form of an Easter egg during Loki’s iconic fifth episode. The only difference was that it was a stone statue of the Tribunal’s head and the face was covered. So, it seems that Marvel Studios is busy setting up the grander mythology of their universe with the Celestials in Eternals and now the addition of the most powerful beings in the known multiverse.

    You can watch the full promo that was shared on Twitter here:

    Source: Twitter

  • REPORT: First ‘Twisted Metal’ Casting Details Teases Agent Stone

    REPORT: First ‘Twisted Metal’ Casting Details Teases Agent Stone

    Peacock has been busy developing a new series based on the popular PlayStation gaming series Twisted Metal. While it sadly hasn’t quite gotten any momentum in the current generation of consoles, it still was quite the cult favorite. Anthony Mackie is set to spearhead the project from the writing team behind Cobra Kai and Deadpool. In a new report by Illuminerdi, they may have uncovered two iconic characters joining the gaming franchise.

    According to them, they are currently casting two roles for the Peacock series. They are busy looking to cast the characters of Quiet and Agent Stone, who will be series regulars. As the first character’s name implies, they are someone who can’t speak due to growing up not being allowed to talk. Yet, it gave her the possibility to gain a very different insight. She is seemingly an original character.

    Agent Stone, on the other hand, is described as a brutal highway patrolman. It seems he is someone that fully embraced the apocalypse and adores his new lifestyle in the Divided States of America. Unlike Quiet, this character does have a history with the games and is the driver of the Crimson Fury. He was introduced in the original Twisted Metal game from 1995 but was a secret agent looking for an item. It wasn’t until Twisted Metal: Black that we got the version that is closer to the character description.

    It’ll be interesting to see what other familiar faces make their way into the Peacock series. As they are seemingly adding some original characters as well, they may focus on who best adds to the overarching narrative of the project. We still don’t know if Sweet Tooth will make his appearance, who is the most recognizable character from the gaming series.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Rating Teases Horror Elements

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Rating Teases Horror Elements

    The British Board of Film Classification has become an essential part of evaluating productions in the U.K. market. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has now seemingly received a 12A rating, but what stood out is that they also included some descriptions on which they base their rating. Even with this rating, it seems that Sam Raimi’s upcoming film will include quite a few horrific horror sequences as revealed by their description of why it got the rating that it did. It offers our first look at just how far the film will push the envelope for its horror elements.

    If you want to avoid any potential spoilers for the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, then only continue at your own risk. You have been warned.

    There is one section that highlights injury details such as that one “dead body show some stages of decomposition” which is very likely the zombified Doctor Strange we saw in one of the trailers. That is not all, as one section titled “threat and horror” highlights even more aspects of what we can expect from the upcoming film, which offers some promising horror elements.

    Scenes of horror include demonic beings attacking people; a decomposing corpse being reanimated; people being burned by magical powers, leaving charred remains; and multiple ‘jump scares’. There are also frequent scenes of threat, in which people are pursued by demonic entities and monsters, or threatened with magical torture.

    It sounds very promising that Raimi was given full reign to embrace as many horror elements as he could in the upcoming film. Plus, a concept like a multiverse gives them some creative ways of creating some iconic horror moments. The inclusion of jump scares also highlights that they will dabble in some clichés from the genre and hopefully also set up Marvel Studios to further explore horror stories moving forward.

    Source: BBFC

  • Hayden Christensen Teases Darth Vader’s Future Beyond ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

    Hayden Christensen Teases Darth Vader’s Future Beyond ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

    Hayden Christensen is making his grand return to a galaxy far, far away in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and it appears he may be back for the long haul. The actor portrayed Anakin Skywalker in the latter two of George Lucas’ three prequel films, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. When he appears in Kenobi, it’ll be as the iconic villain Darth Vader, who Christensen only previously had a chance to play in a handful of scenes. In a recent interview with Total Film, the one-time leading man spoke about his on-screen transition from Jedi Knight to Sith Lord:

    When George [Lucas] had brought me onto the prequels, it was to play Anakin. He gets knighted as Darth Vader towards the end, and for a couple of scenes I get to put the suit on. But my journey with the character was with Anakin Skywalker. But the character? He’s such a complex character. And now, getting to explore the mindset and the emotional state of Darth Vader, has been a lot of fun.

    Hayden Christensen

    More importantly, Christensen continued talking to give a tease for his future with the franchise. There have been rumors that he’ll return to the Vader role for an appearance in the upcoming Ashoka series on Disney+, and while the actor wouldn’t reveal if this is true, he did hint that he may not be done playing Darth Vader:

    The extent of this journey, I think, remains to be seen. But what a privilege to get to come back and do this, and to be a part of this project.

    Hayden Christensen

    It certainly sounds like we might get a lot more of Vader moving forward, even if he may be mostly in the form of flashbacks. Yet, they are starting to expand the timeline with different projects. Who knows if they have plants o set some stories up through Obi-Wan Kenobi that would also see his return in a future project.

    Source: Total Film

  • ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: Deborah Chow Debunks Darth Maul Rumors

    ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’: Deborah Chow Debunks Darth Maul Rumors

    Some time ago, a rumor hit the internet that Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally going to feature the return of Darth Maul. Yet, as production got ready, they seemingly have removed away from that concept to feature Darth Vader as its main antagonist alongside the connections to the animated series with the live-action debut of the Grand Inquisitor. Yet, showrunner Deborah Chow revealed in an interview with Total Film that this wasn’t the case since she’s been involved with the project.

    As long as I’ve been involved, we’ve never had Darth Maul in any of it. Dave [Filoni] did a beautiful job of telling that story already.

    Deborah Chow

    There could always be a potential discussion if these ideas were very early in the concept stage of the project. Lucasfilm has probably planned on exploring this era for quite some time, and a very early draft may have included Maul before Filoni used that concept in Star Wars: Rebels. They may still have plans for the character moving forward, especially after the tease of his return in Solo, but it’s unclear how exactly they are mapping out their projects.

    Lucasfilm hasn’t been very consistent with promoting their projects and we know very little about their future plans with the franchise. They are expanding with new TV series but we know very little about their theatrical release plans. We also have been seeing a strong focus on the post-Return of the Jedi era. Obi-Wan Kenobi will be the first live-action project to focus on an earlier point of the timeline with Andor following. There’s also the long-rumored High Republic series that may be completely disconnected form the rest.

    Source: Total Film

  • ‘The Batman’ Digital Release Ends ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Five-Week Dominance

    ‘The Batman’ Digital Release Ends ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Five-Week Dominance

    It looks like Spider-Man: No Way Home’s reign of the digital market has now also slowly come to an end. After dominating the top position for five weeks in a row, it has now been toppled to the third spot. The Batman has now taken the top spot of Vudu’s home entertainment chart, as shared by Fandango’s Erik Davis. There have been hints that the latest DC film has also been a massive player over at HBO Max, where the film landed not too long ago.

    It’s no surprise that the film would dominate as much as it did, especially with the fanfare it received upon its release. The 3-hour film is also perfect for those that wanted to break it up into pieces and were a bit shy about checking it out by spending that much time in a theater. Families with kids definitely used the chance to finally catch up on it, as they could also watch it in installments. It’ll be interesting to see how long it’ll hold on to that top spot moving forward.

    Dog joining at the second pot is an interesting addition, as the Channing Tatum film did manage to get quite an audience upon its release. Sing 2 is the only other film to hold on as long as Spider-Man did in the top ten. Jackass Forever is a fitting strong performer for home releases, especially with its level of absurdity being perfect for those not sure what to watch.

    Source: Twitter