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  • Latest Leaked ‘One Piece’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Garp’s Ship

    Latest Leaked ‘One Piece’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Garp’s Ship

    One Piece is the series that keeps on giving, as more set photos have leaked online. This time around, we get a good look at another new ship under construction. While only parts of the ship are finished, the figurehead is quite telling on what they are working on. While we only see half, you can clearly recognize the dog’s ears and nose. Plus, we also get the spiked collar as part of its design. The only part that is unsure if it makes it into live-action would be the bone the dog head is holding in its mouth. The images come courtesy of @OP_Netflix_Fan.

    The biggest aspect of this reveal is that it further solidifies that the cover stories from the East Blue, most notably the one involving Helmeppo and Coby, are going to be part of the upcoming series. The upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece will likely take liberties with how it approaches the original story. They may try to connect some story points to the overarching narrative, as they will adapt it to Western storytelling in some regards.

    Garp’s casting did make some waves in the community, as he is a character that doesn’t have a real role in the East Blue Saga. Plus, he doesn’t become that relevant to the story of One Piece until the Post-Enies Lobby arc, where his identity and connection to Luffy are revealed. It’ll be interesting to see if they will hint at it, or be a bit more straightforward with his role in the story. The inclusion of his ship does hint that there are definitely are some plans.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Head Writer On Series’ Violence And Pushing the PG-13 Rating to its Limit

    ‘Moon Knight’ Head Writer On Series’ Violence And Pushing the PG-13 Rating to its Limit

    Now only a week away, anticipation for Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight is at an all-time high. The series is expected to be a fairly unique installment of the MCU for several reasons. Notably, the series will take on mental illness with the titular character’s dissociate identity disorder, and Kevin Feige has suggested Moon Knight will be darker than the MCU at large.

    One particular aspect of the show that has been hinted at by Moon Knight’s creators has had fans on the edge of their seats for quite some time: violence. In some comic book iterations of the character, Moon Knight is abundantly brutal. Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater had some interesting things to say about the violence of the series at the red carpet premiere for Disney+’s MCU outing. Speaking to Variety, he stated:

    But I was like: ‘Let’s get as PG-13 as we possibly can, let’s give people some goosebumps, let’s have some violence in there that you may have never seen before in an MCU thing. And Marvel was so supportive of that. They were so cool about it.

    Jeremy Slater

    The fact that Moon Knight may have violence “never seen before in an MCU thing” is certainly an encouraging statement for those hoping the character refuses to pull punches. Still, the MCU has always been “PG-13”, and Slater also noted that the series is “appropriate for all ages“:

    I think it’s definitely appropriate for all ages, that was important to us. We didn’t wanna make something that was inaccessible to a big chunk of the MCU fan base. And we know that people watch these shows with their kids and with their families, and that’s important to people.

    Jeremy Slater

    It is a little confusing that Slater suggests that Moon Knight is appropriate for kids while also apparently bolstering violence that stands out in the MCU. It is not particularly surprising that Moon Knight would not be the first “R-rated” outing in the franchise, especially given the fact that Disney+ has only recently treaded into the water of trying to balance its family-friendly image while including some of its more mature properties on the streaming service.

    Fans can see just how violent Moon Knight is when the first episode premieres on March 30.

    Source: Variety via The Direct

  • ‘Supernatural’ Star Misha Collins Joins ‘Gotham Knights’ as Harvey Dent

    ‘Supernatural’ Star Misha Collins Joins ‘Gotham Knights’ as Harvey Dent

    It looks like one major CW star is staying in the network’s family. Misha Collins, best known for longtime role on Supernatural, is joining the upcoming DC pilot Gotham Knights as famed Batman character Harvey Dent. The series, written by the Batwoman creative team of Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux and Natalie Abrams, will focus on the events in Gotham City following the tragic murder of Bruce Wayne. His rebellious son, played by Oscar Morgan, forms a team with the children of Batman’s iconic rogues gallery when they’re all framed for killing the Caped Crusader. Despite sharing creatives, the series will not take place in the Batwoman universe, and has no ties to the upcoming video game of the same name.

    Collins took to Twitter to comment on his casting. His joke caption is referring to his well-known role as the angel Castiel, who he portrayed on Supernatural for 12 of 15 seasons. He joins a cast that also includes the aforementioned Morgan, playing an original character named Turner Hayes, as well as Olivia Rose Keegan, Navia Robinson, Fallon Smythe and Tyler DiChiara. The actor is the first major Batman villain announcement for the series, as his character Dent famously becomes Two-Face during the vigilante’s career. It’s unknown if Collins‘ Dent will already be Two-Face when audiences meet him, but whenever it happens, he’ll join a stable of respected actors who’ve inhabited the role, including Billy Dee Williams, Tommy Lee Jones, and Aaron Eckhart.

    Gotham Knights does not currently have a release date.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter

  • ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ Delayed to Spring 2023

    ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ Delayed to Spring 2023

    As excited as we were for the upcoming releases of DC’s new slate of games, they have been hit with delays quite a bit. Gotham Knight‘s and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League were first showcased during DC FanDome back in 2020. While it seems that the former will finally release sometime later this year, sadly the next Rocksteady game has been pushed back once again until Spring 2023. The game’s director Sefton Hill, who worked on the Batman Arkham games, took to Twitter to confirm the delay.

    Delays have become commonplace throughout the industry at this point, as many are facing the troubles of working from home with limited resources. Rocksteady’s last release was back in 2016 with Batman: Arkham Knight. While we did get a VR game a year later, Suicide Squad is their biggest release in quite some time. It’s great that Warner Bros. gives them the time to work on it, but it also makes sense given the massive success that their ventures into the Arkhamverse have been.

    Gotham Knights, created by Warner Bros. Montréal, will be the successor to that series that mainly keeps quite a few of the iconic mechanics. Sadly, it seems like a direct continuation of the Arkham games won’t be happening anytime soon. Luckily, Suicide Squad does take place in the same universe. So, we’ll see if it may even set up something moving forward. The most interesting connection lies in that Arkham Origins set up a Suicide Squad storyline, but Deathstroke is noticeably absent in the roster. We’ll see how it may end up fitting into the storyline.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: Netflix’s Live-action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Budget on Par with ‘The Mandalorian’

    RUMOR: Netflix’s Live-action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Budget on Par with ‘The Mandalorian’

    Netflix has been all-in with their upcoming live-action adaptation wave. We recently learned that their One Piece series will be the streamer’s biggest production “in scope and budget” as it continues production in South Africa. If a new rumor is to believe, their other major IP adaptation, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has also quite the budget behind it and continues a trend for Netflix’s dedication to their upcoming high profile adaptations.

    According to Avatar News, the upcoming series will have a budget of $15M+ per episode. As the first season is set to run with around eight episodes, that would put it at around $120M+ total budget. They can’t share an exact number, but it would definitely put it on par with shows like The Mandalorian, which had around $100M for its eight-episode season. Though it eyeing beyond $120M, it’ll likely be closer to the budgets that Marvel Studios gives its Disney+ productions.

    We still don’t know the exact budget for One Piece, but it’s also been speculated to be on a similar level. It was certainly higher than the one planned for Cowboy Bebop, which sadly ended up getting canceled. Netflix seems quite dedicated to these series and is planning high-budgets going in to build up a future season investment. Avatar: The Last Airbender is an extremely popular series and it makes sense they’d see the potential building upon the already existing fanbase. We’ll see if we get some teases from the ongoing production that hints at how they are tackling the adaptation moving forward.

    Source: Avatar News, Business Insider

  • Tom Hiddleston’s German Voice Actor Working on an Upcoming Marvel Movie

    Tom Hiddleston’s German Voice Actor Working on an Upcoming Marvel Movie

    Marvel Studios is a worldwide phenomenon and has been translated into many different languages. Sometimes, the dub actors also end up teasing some upcoming projects, such as the current case with Peter Lontzek, who is known for voicing Tom Hiddleston throughout his Marvel journey. While referencing he recently worked on the Loki series, he also ends the short interview with another German voice actor by confirming that he is currently working on a secret Marvel film. He doesn’t give away any details, but the translation is as follows:

    There is a new Marvel film that I am currently working on that I am not allowed to talk about.

    Peter Lontzek
    https://www.tiktok.com/@svenplatesynchron/video/7074233957042162949?_t=8QrbEYTtS33&_r=1

    He confirms that whatever project it is, he is currently working on it, which does help pin down what film he is talking about. July will see the release of Thor: Love and Thunder but given the storyline of the Disney+ series, it seems more likely that the secret project he is working on is the film that’s eyeing a release in a little over a month. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems like the most logical option, especially with rumors making the rounds early on that he might make an appearance in the project.

    It would be fun to see the TVA confront Strange, as he keeps getting captured by different multiverse-based organizations as a running gag throughout. It would also open the possibility of Kang the Conqueror making his appearance in the project. Perhaps, the events of this film will lead into the second season of the TVA-focused Disney+ series. The confirmation of him working on a project does add some excitement on what the future might have in store for the God of Mischief.

    Source: TikTok

  • Matt Smith Admits He’s Not Sure Who He Plays in Sony’s ‘Morbius’

    Matt Smith Admits He’s Not Sure Who He Plays in Sony’s ‘Morbius’

    4 years and 6 release dates ago, Matt Smith’s role in Sony’s upcoming vamp flick, Morbius, was revealed to be Loxias Crown, a Marvel Comics’ character known as Hunger. In the comics, Crown became some sort of quasi-vampire after being attacked by Morbius, but the character is poorly-defined, having only 5 total appearances and none since 1999. So, in some regards, it’s a great character for a comic-based film because he’s open to interpretation; however, there are also problems with adapting a character with so little supporting mythology. And, according to Smith, his Morbius‘ character may suffer from the same identity crisis he had in the comics.

    In an interview with Screen Rant, Smith explained that he’s not entirely sure of the nature of his character because he didn’t do any comic-based research into him ahead of time:

    The truth is, I wasn’t aware of the great big history of the character in many respects. Because the script I was presented with doesn’t really delve into the past of him – or indeed the future. And isn’t someone else playing him? It’s all a bit confusing to me, to be honest with you. I took as my Bible just the actual script, is the honest truth of it. And it was all a bit odd whether it was Loxias [Crown] or not. I’m still not quite sure, to be honest.

    Matt Smith

    In the film, Smith plays Morbius’ childhood bestie who suffers from the same hereditary disease as his friend. When Morbius finds the “cure”, Smith’s Crown, who comes from a wealthy family, uses his big money power to uncover Morbius’ discovery and then becomes a much more villainous, cold-blooded version of his friend. That character is a FAR cry from the comics, so it’s not surprising that Smith wouldn’t have to read any background material to prep. His route to villainy sounds very similar to how Marvel Studios has traditionally developed their villains, so maybe Sony has taken a page from the successful franchise.

    Morbius FINALLY hits theaters just over a week from now on April 1st, 2022…or does it?

    Source: Screen Rant

  • ‘The Flash’, ‘Superman and Lois’, ‘Riverdale’ and More Get Renewal by CW

    ‘The Flash’, ‘Superman and Lois’, ‘Riverdale’ and More Get Renewal by CW

    The CW has always been known for renewing its scripted programs early. While we didn’t get the usual January confirmation, as the current climate things have changed a bit and it seemed like it may not be the one to lead the charge. Luckily, it looks like that tradition continues as the broadcast has renewed not one but seven of its scripted series. Deadline has revealed that they’ve given a new season order to their two DC series The Flash, as well as Superman and Lois. The ever-chaotic Riverdale is also set to make a return alongside All American, Nancy Drew, Kung Fu, and Walker.

    While the early renewals are a good sign, there have generally been discussions for the CW’s future. Nexstar, an affiliate group, is potentially eyeing the broadcast network and a new majority owner would change the renewal process as well as how streaming rights help boost its revenue stream. There are also quite a few series still on the bubble missing a renewal, such as the newly released Naomi, Legends of Tomorrow, Charmed, Batwoman, and more.

    The Flash is entering its ninth season and is now the longest-running series beating out Arrow which ended on its eighth. There’s no word if this might be the final season, or they might want to go for a nice round 10 seasons to end its run. Superman and Lois will return for its third season. Riverdale will join with its seventh season, but also uncertain if it’ll continue afterward. The biggest surprise with Nancy Drew, which was on the bubble even with a spinoff on the horizon.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘The Incredible Hulk’ Finds New Streaming Home on HBO Max Instead of Disney+

    ‘The Incredible Hulk’ Finds New Streaming Home on HBO Max Instead of Disney+

    Disney+ has become the home of all Marvel projects. While the Sony Spider-Man films are still noticeably absent, especially those that take place in the MCU, the service has recently been able to add the missing Netflix series. Yet, there is still one MCU-specific film that refuses to make its return home in the form of The Incredible Hulk.

    Decider has shared a list of projects heading to HBO and HBO Max in April. What stuck out is the Edward Norton-led film is included in the list. It’s uncertain if the film will finally make its move to join Disney+ anytime soon, as the production was originally distributed by Universal. They also seemingly owned the rights to the character for some time, but it’s unsure if Disney+ has actively been making deals behind the scenes to get the rights back to the film.

    For now, it seems that we’ll still have to wait to have the full MCU represented on the “Home of Marvel” according to the recent update. It does seem like Marvel Studios plans is to bring all projects that have the Marvel brand to the service at some point, especially with that Sony deal some time ago that still hasn’t born any fruit so far. Spider-Man is heading to the service at some point, but it’s uncertain just how long the wait will be.

    If The Incredible Hulk is getting added to HBO Max, it would indicate that some kind of deal was made with Universal. 20th Century films are still premiering on WarnerMedia’s service before they fully move over to Disney+ with the rights now belonging to the House of Mouse. We’ll see how exactly this unfolds and if the MCU will truly be united at some point.

    Source: Decider

  • RUMOR: Emilia Clarke’s ‘Secret Invasion’ Character Revealed

    RUMOR: Emilia Clarke’s ‘Secret Invasion’ Character Revealed

    Though plenty of set photos and videos were captured during its production, much of Secret Invasion has stayed a secret. Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn and Cobie Smulders are all reprising their respective MCU roles in the Disney Plus streaming series, but little is known about who the rest of the cast will be playing in the paranoia-thriller.

    Olivia Colman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Christopher McDonald and Killian Scott have all been cast in undisclosed roles, but no member of the cast has drawn more interest and generated more speculation than Emilia Clarke. Fan theories have had her as everyone from Jessica Drew to Abigail Brand, but now a rumor from a source who has proven reliable in the past points in a different direction. If you’re hoping to avoid spoilers, turn away now…

    Why You Should Be Excited About the Upcoming Secret Invasion Series on Disney+

    According to Reddit and Twitter scooper My Time to Shine Hello, Clarke is portraying a character who played a major role in the Secret Invasion comic book event upon which the streaming series will be based.

    In the comics, Veranke was the Skrull Empress and the mastermind of the Skrull invasion of Earth. Veranke famously simmed Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman, and used her to sow discord among the Avengers in the period leading up to the invasion.

    Set footage from the UK showed Clarke’s character had some familiarity with Maria Hill, but also showed her seemingly working with Ben-Adir’s unknown Skrull villain, so while her identity as Veranke is important, it’s only half the story. The identity of the human character she has chosen to sim will prove to be just as important to the plot of Secret Invasion, which seems set to stream in 2023.