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  • Michelle Pfeiffer Was Hesitant on Joining ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’

    Michelle Pfeiffer Was Hesitant on Joining ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’

    Ant-Man and the Wasp finally introduced us to Janet Van Dyne, and many were excited when we found out that it was Michelle Pfeiffer who had taken on the role. The icon was a perfect choice for the aged-up version of the character that got lost in the Quantum Realm long ago. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, the actress revealed that she was quite hesitant about even joining the production, as she was only given a few details on her character by director Peyton Reed.

    They’re very mysterious, and they’re very secretive, of course, with their storylines. It’s a little hard because I met with Peyton, and I knew a little bit about the character, but there was no script. You have to commit without actually having read anything.

    Michelle Pfeiffer

    She highlights that one challenge is how often the scripts change throughout production. It is commonly done by the creative team as they updated elements and even as a measure to keep as many secrets as possible. Of course, it adds some hesitation to join the project.

    It wouldn’t have mattered because it all changes anyway. You don’t really know what you’re getting into, and then you get a script right before you start shooting, and then it changes every day. And then you shoot the movie, and you wrap, and then it changes again.

    Michelle Pfeiffer

    What needs to be pointed out though is that Pfeiffer also has been rather open on her almost backing out of every single film role she ever had. She confirmed that in an interview back in 2018, and it probably wasn’t much different here but she is luckily confirmed to return for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    Source: YouTube via The Hollywood Reporter

  • 3 Steps To Fixing The Los Angeles Lakers

    3 Steps To Fixing The Los Angeles Lakers

    To date, this has been the most disappointing season for the Los Angeles Lakers. You had LeBron James and Anthony Davis coming off of a season where they were both injured at an unfortunate time. They get ousted in the first round by the Phoenix Suns after Davis sustained a groin injury. This all gets compounded by a trade for enigmatic point guard Russell Westbrook in the off-season. What then occurred was a season full of missed expectations, injuries, front office incompetence, and poor play. The only good news is it’s over. The Lakers won’t be making the playoffs. How does this get corrected though? We have three steps to get the Lakers back to being a championship contender. Here they are.

    1. Trade Russell Westbrook

    This is easier said than done. It’s going to be difficult to move Russ for anything significant. He has a 47 million dollar player option which he will absolutely opt in to. While this season wasn’t entirely his fault it’s clear that the fit with LeBron and AD was not up to par. With the issue of not being able to space the floor and needing the ball to be successful it’s untenable to keep him as a starter. Unless he’s willing to come off the bench and be a capable 6th man, the move needs to happen.

    The Lakers could stretch and waive Russ, but nothing about that seems like a good idea either. You also don’t want to trade the two future first rounders the Lakers have in a Russ deal. Solution? Find a team who wouldn’t mind taking an expiring deal and will presumably buy out Russ. Potential candidates are Charlotte, Indiana, OKC, and Houston.

    2. Fire Frank Vogel…but don’t hire Doc Rivers.

    So the word on the street is that head coach Frank Vogel is going to be on the chopping block. It’s not his fault completely. He’s an elite defensive coach and the roster was stripped from what his calling card is. All of the athleticism and wing depth were removed from the Lakers for Russell Westbrook, leaving veterans and players without defensive chops. Strong D is what made the last two Laker teams a champion and competitive.

    That’s the context, but here’s the factual. In sports they’re not going to blame the players and the front office is going to run away from accountability. That leaves the coach. When Vogel gets let go, the Lakers are going to need a new voice. There have been plenty of rumors and talk about hiring Doc Rivers. Firstly, Rivers coaches the Sixers. However, if the Sixers don’t make a significant run in the playoffs, don’t be surprised if Sixers president Daryl Morey looks elsewhere. If that happens, the Lakers shouldn’t hire Doc. While Doc is known as a players’ coach and does have quite the resume, it’s not what this Lakers team needs. Quin Snyder, the current Utah Jazz coach could be available if the Jazz falter early this postseason. That feels like a better fit from a schematic standpoint.

    3. Front office Competence

    Sure, the Lakers could do the “win now” thing and trade their 2027 and 2029 first round picks. The easiest thing to do when you’re in a hole is to try go for the quick fix. That isn’t going to work here. There has to be a realization that the western conference might not be winnable next season. As currently constituted, the Lakers will have a 37-going-on-38-year old LeBron James and an Anthony Davis who’s oft injury prone. If you’re not going to trade AD or LeBron then realistically you may have to eat whatever comes next season. That doesn’t sound sexy but it’s reality. 

    This is the price for the moves they made to get AD in the first place. They won a championship in 2020 and you never have to apologize for winning one. When it’s all said and done, the retooling begins now. This is where your front office has to be able to correct some mistakes. Ownership has to make better decisions, especially who advises on moves for the basketball team. Looking at you Jeanie Buss and am telling you to cease and desist with any Kurt or Linda Rambis meddling. 

    More importantly, it’s time to prepare for what’s next beyond LeBron James. It’s hard to put into perspective his sustained level of greatness. It is easy to put into perspective the reality of his championship window and what that’ll mean as far as extending his contract. Some hard decisions are on the way. If the Lakers play their cards right, they could come out alright on the other side. They just have to show a damn good poker face.

  • ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Eyeing a $60M+ Opening Weekend After Strong Domestic Previews

    ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Eyeing a $60M+ Opening Weekend After Strong Domestic Previews

    It looks like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is on its way to opening with a strong weekend, as it has taken in $6.25M domestically through its previews from Wednesday and Thursday. To put that into comparison, the film has managed to pass Morbius ($5.7M) and Uncharted ($3.7M), which is motivating after the only real major release being The Batman in 2022 so far. It seems most of the income is from Thursday, which is to be expected with around $5M. That still puts it ahead of the first entries’ $3M back in 2020 before the pandemic hit.

    So far, the question remains if the family-focused film can carry the weekend to potentially pass Jumanji: The Next Level‘s $59.3M opening weekend. Family films have mostly struggled quite a bit as of late due to the pandemic. So, it’ll be interesting to see if the film continues its draw for a younger audience and pulls in people, but it seems clear that it has a good chance to potentially take the top spot.

    Currently, the prediction is that the film will take in around $60M to $75M, but Box Office Pro doesn’t deny that there’s a chance it could perform even better. We have to keep in mind that the film already took in $30M last weekend internationally in only 31 markets. 22are set to join this weekend and its only real competition is Ambulance and Everything Everywhere All At Once, which target a very different audience. So, we’ll see just how it’s weekend will go.

    Source: Box Office Pro, Deadline

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Directors Tease their Approach to ‘Loki’ Season 2

    ‘Moon Knight’ Directors Tease their Approach to ‘Loki’ Season 2

    It was in February when we learned that the directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead would be taking over the upcoming second season of Loki from Kate Herron. The team just recently published their work on Archive 81 and has also been the second team to tackle Moon Knight alongside Egyptian director Mohamed Diab. We still know very little about the upcoming second season and what we can expect from the series, but luckily the duo has sat down with Collider to offer a glimpse into their approach.

    After tackling the character of Moon Knight, the duo had the challenge of introducing a comic character that made his live-action debut. So, now they are happy to tackle another series revealing they were “handed that job” and highlighting what they also want to carry over from their first Disney+ series.

    I mean, we’re still kind of even processing being handed that job. But I suppose what we can say about it is that we’re really, really proud of what we’ve done on Moon Knight. I think that Marvel really likes what we’re able to do on Moon Knight. And so we’re hoping to kind of take all the lessons that we learned, which are infinite, the unbelievable amount of life experience, and craft, and art that we made in Moon Knight. And we want to take all of that and kind of bundle it back together as we lead Loki.

    Aaron Moorhead

    Benson went on to also highlight that they have one thing together that they are both “outcasts” and that complexity adds something special to exploring these characters.

    They all have complexity, but these two have complexity in being outcasts, and there’s something about that that feels very special and an honor to tackle.

    Justin Benson

    It certainly looks like the duo are ready to tackle their next MCU project, and are quite excited to bring the second season of Loki to life. We know that it’ll likely pick up directly where the first season ended, as Kang has taken over the TVA and no one can seemingly remember who the God of Mischief is. Sadly, it looks like we still have to wait a little bit longer before we find out.

    Source: Collider

  • Oscar Isaac Practically Confirms Third ‘Moon Knight’ Personality Will Appear

    Oscar Isaac Practically Confirms Third ‘Moon Knight’ Personality Will Appear

    Oscar Isaac is either spoiling his own show or using the red carpet to mess with Moon Knight fans across the globe. At the L.A. premiere of his new hit Disney+ series, the former Star Wars actor was asked by a reporter what it was like to portray two characters for the project. The conversation is in Spanish, but Isaac’s cheeky response translates to the rather intriguing sentence “and perhaps more than just the two”.

    https://twitter.com/pollos_hernandy/status/1512188318297034757?s=21

    The continued dialogue goes as follows:


    You play two extraordinary characters, how hard was it for you to..

    Reporter

    And perhaps more than just the two. Perhaps more than two. You’ll have to watch the show.

    Oscar Isaac

    In the comics, the Moon Knight character typically has at least three civilian personalities at any given moment. The show has done an excellent job of covering two of them, the mercenary Marc Spector and the more posh Steven Grant. However, fans have been curious about the absence of a third personality Jake Lockley, who is usually portrayed as a New York City cab driver, and Moon Knight’s ears on the streets. While many have been quick to pick up on possible Lockley easter eggs in the show’s first episodes, this is perhaps the closest we’ve come to having any actual confirmation that the alter, who our own Mary Maerz has been theorizing about for a couple of weeks, may be on the way.

    Moon Knight has currently aired two of its six episodes, which means there’s still plenty of time to introduce new concepts and characters in the home stretch. For now, however, fans can keep enjoying the fantastic performance Isaac is giving as Spector and Grant every Wednesday.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’: A Guide to Khonshu

    ‘Moon Knight’: A Guide to Khonshu

    While Steven Grant and Marc Spector grapple with the fact that they are two personalities living within the same body in Moon Knight, they have another presence to deal with. Often towering above them with a booming, rather demanding voice is F. Murray Abraham‘s Khonshu. While Episode 2 of the series gives only a very brief rundown of the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu is absolutely vital to Moon Knight’s character. Here, we give you a more in-depth look at Khonshu.

    Avengers
    Moon Knight

    In Egyptian mythology, Khonshu is revered as the nocturnal God of the Moon, God of Vengeance, and the Shepherd of the Lost. He was a protector of travelers in the night. The nitty-gritty of Khonshu and other Egyptian gods in the comics is that these gods are members of the Heliopolitan race of gods who live in the Othervoid, an extradimensional realm adjacent to Earth and worshipped by the people of Ancient Egypt. Moon Knight has adopted a more modern take on the appearance of the character, specifically opting for the bird-like skull head that appears in many recent adaptations. 

    Moon Knight
    Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight

    Because Khonshu, and the other gods, are unable to be physically present on Earth, they choose human avatars to carry out their will on Earth. For Khonshu, his chosen avatar is called the Moon Knight. As we know, Khonshu chose Marc Spector to be his avatar after Spector died and was revived under a statue of Khonshu.

    For Marc Spector and his alters, being the “Fist of Khonshu” originally looked like standard vigilante work, and it still does generally. But lately, there is more emphasis on the protection of nighttime travelers. Khonshu often appears to Marc, but there are times when it is suggested that he may be a figment of Marc’s imagination. Khonshu often appears as himself, but Spector has seen him in many forms including the form of a faceless Bushman after Moon Knight tore the face off of the villain. Khonshu early on was more professional, and sort of seemed like a more traditional authoritative presence. But he has certainly developed a personality, whether as the actual god or as Spector’s mental projection.

    So far in Moon Knight, Khonshu has been a bit rude, short, and “snotty”. As you can tell from the series so far, he has no problem calling Steven Grant “the idiot” or flat-out insulting or criticizing anyone. He does not appear to exhibit patience or empathy when dealing with humans. Likewise, in the comics, nowadays you can indeed expect him to be quite rude and often demanding. Sometimes this takes more of a sadistic and manipulative form (such as the Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood run in which he tries to break Spector’s mind completely), and in others, he is sarcastic, vulgar, and absurd (the page from Moon Knight #15 (2006) below should say a lot). 

    Moon Knight #15 (2006)

    Khonshu has a colorful, long, and detailed history in the comics, some unrelated to Marc Spector. For example, around 1,000,000 B.C., Khonshu was upset that he was not offered membership to the Stone Age Avengers. He chose his first Moon Knight in part to antagonize those Avengers on his behalf. Khonshu has taken over Spector’s physical body during Moon Knight’s time with the West Coast Avengers, and he revived Spector once again during the events of Marc Spector: Moon Knight (1989). In Jason Aaron’s recent arc, Avengers: The Age of Khonshu, Khonshu uses Moon Knight to defeat several Avengers in an attempt at taking over the world for the supposed purpose of protecting it. 

    Avengers

    Whether Khonshu remains as a more passive companion throughout Moon Knight is yet to be seen. It is likely that we will not see too much Khonshu-specific storytelling in this series that focuses on Steven Grant and Marc Spector’s dissociative identity disorder and introduces Moon Knight as a concept. It is interesting that neither Marc Spector nor Khonshu have been truly explained in detail yet, and “Moon Knight” as a name has not yet been used. Still, Khonshu is likely to remain around as an integral part of Moon Knight. 

    Moon Knight is now streaming on Disney+.

  • Tom Hiddleston Joins Apple’s ‘The White Darkness’

    Tom Hiddleston Joins Apple’s ‘The White Darkness’

    It looks like Loki star Tom Hiddleston has set his eyes on his next project, as The Hollywood reporter has shared that the actor joined Apple’s upcoming drama series, The White Darkness. The limited series is based on the book by David Grann, which explores the story of a former soldier who is obsessed with adventure as he sets out to journey across Antarctica. Of course, as one does, he decides to do so on foot. Apple ordered the series as a limited series to explore not only this adventure but also the family life he leaves behind for this ambition.

    Tom Hiddleston will take on the role of Henry Worsley, the man who sets out into the white darkness that is endless Antarctica. Universal Content Productions is involved with the project alongside Apple Studios. Mark Heyman of Black Swan fame is attached as showrunner alongside Soo Hugh. This collaboration marks Hugh’s second project with Apple after he adapted Min Jin Lee‘s Pachinko. Blue Marble Pictures is also involved due to their overall deal with the company.

    Hiddleston is also no stranger to working with Apple, as he also appeared in The Essex Serpent, which is another book adaptation. While others are focusing strongly on establishing well-known IPs with franchises built around them, Apple is taking a different approach to establishing its place among the other streamers by adapting well-known articles and offering alternative originals. It’ll be interesting to see them continue down this path and create a niche placement within the competitive market.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘PEN15’s Maya Erskine Joins Donald Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith’

    ‘PEN15’s Maya Erskine Joins Donald Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith’

    It looks like Donald Glover and Amazon’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith is finally moving forward. Sadly, Phoebe Waller-Bridge has exited the project and Maya Erskine will take over her role. The actress left the project due to “creative differences” but no details have been shared on what led to her exiting the project. It was originally ordered straight to series back in February 2021, but not much has happened on the reboot of the Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie-led classic from 2005. Now, the project is finally picking up some steam with Erskine joining the project.

    Donald Glover had the following to say on her joining the project, and also highlighted that he’s already started work on the finale of the series:

    She’s dope. It’s exciting. I really love the show. I’m writing the finale now.

    Donald Glover

    He’s been working on the deal alongside Francesca Sloane, who is a co-showrunner and co-creator as part of her own deal with Amazon. New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer are attached as executive producers. There’s no word how it might adapt the storyline of the original or add its own twist to it. Glover has been busy working on various projects, which also include Hive, a series based on a concept pitched by Watchmen writer Janine Nabers.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Presales Outpaced ‘The Batman’

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Presales Outpaced ‘The Batman’

    It’s looking good for Marvel Studios once again, as the current 24-hour presales are the best of 2022 so far. As such, they have already beat out Warner Bros.’ big March release of The Batman and are hot on the trail of Spider-Man: No Way Home. We don’t have an exact number, but it looks like the Disney subsidiary has a blockbuster hit on its hands. Fandango’s Erik Davis had the following to say on the film’s presales:

    The epic first day of presales for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proves fans are beyond excited to experience all the thrills, chills and blockbuster surprises Marvel Studios is known to deliver.

    Erik Davis – Fandangp

    There’s still no word how the numbers are with other exhibitors, but the multiversal-based storyline is definitely on everyone’s must-watch list. Doctor Strange has been a consistent presence throughout the MCU even if his first solo film was released all the way back in 2016. Plus, the trailer was revealed alongside No Way Home, which was quite the box office draw since its release back in December.

    Forbes does point to it being a potentially cautionary tale, especially given the uncertainty of the MCU’s holding on the box office. Not every entry in the franchise has truly dominated yet most of the releases also faced some hardships during the pandemic. There are some comparisons made to Eternals performing similarly to Dune, as well as Uncharted picking up the same pace as Black Widow. Yet, the latter definitely took place in very different situations, and the films have still performed quite well, especially those introducing new characters into the franchise. For now, 2022 is still not looking like a true “return to form” for the box office and it’ll definitely be a proving ground moving forward.

    Source: Deadline, Forbes

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 2 Evidence Further Supports the Jake Lockley Theory

    ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 2 Evidence Further Supports the Jake Lockley Theory

    The second episode of Moon Knight continued to explore and emphasize the relationship between personalities Steven Grant and Marc Spector. With the confirmation that Moon Knight and Mr. Knight are simply the costumed versions of Spector and Grant, rather than separate personalities, the question lingers whether any other alters associated with Spector’s dissociative identity disorder from the comics will make an appearance in the Disney+ series.

    It is a strong bet that Spector’s third classic identity in the comics, Jake Lockley, could be revealed at some point. While Moon Knight has been silent on the matter, Episode 1 may have hidden some nods to Lockley’s existence. Episode 2 followed suit, though, and there are fresh hints at Spector’s third personality.

    The Reflections

    While many are blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments, there are numerous times Steven or Marc’s reflection in a mirror is split into three or the mirrored identity seems to have an extra with him. That might seem trivial, but considering how Moon Knight uses mirrors and reflections as the nearly exclusive means of navigating the separate identities, the visuals likely carry much more meaning and intention than the average reflections.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’
    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’

    Marc Spector’s Freak Out

    Perhaps one of the most interesting potential clues comes with Marc’s and Steven’s argument near the very end of the episode. Things got heated, and Marc ultimately goes into a mini-rage to smash the reflection he is seeing Steven in. Marc so far has certainly been depicted as more serious and violent than Steven but never before has he expressed any heightened anger or animosity towards Steven. It certainly stood out as a somewhat out-of-nowhere expression of hostility, frustration, and brutality. So, while this moment could be a moment where Marc is overwhelmed and simply acts out, we possibly just saw Jake Lockley in action.

    In the comics, Jake has more recently become known as the hyper-violent, somewhat more psychopathic identity. He is willing to take the violent or darker action that even Marc, the ex-mercenary, hesitates on–and he does so without a guilty conscience. If Moon Knight does bring Jake to screen, there is a good chance this is the interpretation of him viewers will see. This moment in Episode 2 may be a tease at Jake’s ability to take control of their body when he sees fit.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’

    Side Comments from Layla and Arthur Harrow

    Nothing that any character has said would definitively confirm or deny that Marc and Steven are the only two personalities in their bodies. If Moon Knight does want to introduce another identity in some “surprise” reveal, spoiling it now would not make sense. Still, a couple of comments in Episode 2 are curious.

    First, and most interesting, when Layla meets ad confronts Steven for the first time, she asks: “Is this Steven the latest fake identity for you?” That would imply that Layla was aware of other times Marc went by another name. Considering he seems to have a shady background, it would not be surprising if he used fake names to stay out of trouble or go places Marc Spector could not go. But Layla could also be referring to a time when Jake was in control of Marc’s body and told her his name was Jake Lockley.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’

    Arthur Harrow also makes a comment that is less convincing but perhaps also speaks to how much Harrow knows about the protagonist. He says to Steven: “It must be difficult having all those voices inside one head.” He refers to Marc and Khonshu, but he could be hinting that he knows more about the current Moon Knight than we see. After all, he is Khonshu’s former avatar, plus his cane somehow let him know that there is “chaos” in Steven–maybe it told him much more than that. Still, it is hard to shake the feeling that Harrow knows more about our protagonist than we do, and almost certainly more than Steven.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’

    The first two episodes of Moon Knight are streaming on Disney+.