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James Gunn to Cameo in ‘Harley Quinn’ Season 3

It looks like while we know very little about the upcoming third season of Harley Quinn, we did get one hidden reveal. In the article on the upcoming spinoff focused on Kite Man, it seems that series creator Patrick Schumacker confirmed that James Gunn, who’s a vocal fan of the R-rated series, will appear in the series as himself. Of course, as a director, he will take on some fictional directing duties on one of the Waynes.

He is playing himself, and is directing a movie about Thomas Wayne.
Patrick Schumacker

The Suicide Squad director is known for his own ventures into an R-rated world. So, he’s the perfect addition to the series and it’ll be fun to keep an eye out for when we might expect him. Thomas Wayne wouldn’t be the film I’d expect him to tackle living in the world of DC, but it would be fun to see some of his usual directing flourishes find their way into the fictional work. Imagine a hard R-rated adaptation of Thomas Wayne’s life, as he sits on his expensive bed in his tidy whities. It’ll be interesting to see if we also get some callbacks to his own DC ventures, especially with the new popularity of Peacemaker.

Source: Slash Film

March 16, 2022
Madame Web Will Be Sony’s Spider-Man Universe’s Doctor Strange

Sony is still moving forward with their expanded universe that is building around Spider-Man rather than using him as a jumping-off point. The news just broke that Euphoria‘s breakout star Sydney Sweeny was joining the project in an unnamed role. Yet, there was another big reveal hidden away, as it seems that they have big plans for Dakota Johnson‘s Madame Web. According to Deadline, she will be Sony’s equivalent to Doctor Strange due to her psychic sensory powers.

Strange has previously appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home and it may have sparked the idea to explore some magical-based storytelling in their own universe. Plus, his upcoming adventure through the multiverse may have also made the easy connection. It does make you wonder if Multiverse of Madness also has him temporarily landing in this alternative cinematic universe to meet her before venturing on. Web could be a Variant of Strange if they want to make a loose connection.

Of course, there’s still the question of what Spider-Man might become the focus of this spinoff universe, as they now have three to choose from. At first, many thought Tom Holland might end up lost in this new universe but he remained in the MCU even as everyone forgot who he is. We’ll have to see what the future has in store for him and this new universe.

Source: Deadline

March 16, 2022
‘Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney Joins Dakota Johnson-Led ‘Madame Web’

Sony is moving full force with their upcoming Madame Web film, as it seems they’ve now added Euphoria‘s Sydney Sweeny to star alongside Dakota Johnson in the Spider-Man spinoff. The film will be directed by S.J. Clarkson based on a screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. Kerem Sanga had worked on a previous draft. As you might guess, her role is still kept under wraps and the only thing we know is that she’ll be a co-star alongside Johnson.

It’s quite the big get for Sony, as she is hot off HBO’s second-most show just behind Game of Thrones. Sweeny also was quite the focus in the latest season, which put her on many studios’ top lists. She’s been quite the popular fan cast for various Spider-Man roles, but I doubt anyone expected her to join Sony’s universe as most had their money on Marvel studios trying to nab her for an upcoming project.

Still, it seems that the opportunity to work with Johnson was what inspired her decision. Plus, it’ll be the first female-centric film from the Spider-Man spinoffs, which could also be quite the draw. It’ll be interesting to see if other familiar faces from across the Spider-Verse make an appearance given Madame Web’s abilities. Perhaps they are using this as a jumping-off point for a live-action adaptation of the popular comic by the same name.

Source: Deadline

March 16, 2022
Jack Black Returns as Po in ‘Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight’

A new original animated series is heading to Netflix which will see the return of Jack Black as Po, the Dragon Warrior. The series titled Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight will be the first time he voiced the character since the third entry back in 2016. So far, he has not voiced the character in the other animated series, and it seems this project may have caught his eye making him want to return.

We’ve also got a first look alongside the official synopsis for the new entry in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.

When a mysterious pair of weasels set their sights on a collection of four powerful weapons, Po must leave his home to embark on a globe-trotting quest for redemption and justice that finds him partnered up with a no-nonsense English knight named Wandering Blade. Together, these two mismatched warriors set out on an epic adventure to find the magical weapons first and save the world from destruction — and they may even learn a thing or two from each other along the way

Peter Hastings and Shaunt Nigoghossion join the project as executive producers. There’s no word if others are joining the project as well, as the original films had quite the stacked cast including Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, and more. for now, it’s great to see Black return to the role he made so iconic, and hopefully, the animation can also live up to the original.

Source: The Wrap, TV Insider

March 16, 2022
Doctor Strange Isn’t an Avenger in the MCU

Here’s an interesting revelation. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, it seemed like so many have become members of the organization. We still never found out what exactly happened to the organization given that everyone only talks about it in the past tense. While a new generation seems to be brewing, Benedict Cumberbatch has shared his thoughts on where Doctor Strange lies when it comes to being a member of the Avengers.

He’s fine with aligning himself with creatures and spirits and everything else that’s thrown at him and that’s why he can be a slight outsider as an Avenger. People say that you were in the Avengers, but you’re not an Avenger, right? No, I’m not. I’m not at Stark Tower with Nick Fury. No, he’s sort of outside of that realm, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a character trait. I think that is just a job title. He’s there to protect the reality of the Avengers in a different way to what they have been fighting up until the point that everything collides in the last two Avengers movies, so he holds his position as an adult on the periphery of that, but I think only for so long.
Benedict Cumberbatch

While an Avenger doesn’t necessarily have to live in Stark Tower–especially with how little we know who took over the tower–but he makes a good point. Avengers are part of a team with it being like a job title. Unlike Spidey, he never was announced or accepted the role of an Avenger. He just showed up in Infinity War and Endgame to help out, especially the former because Banner just happened to drop into the Sanctum Sanctorum. So, while he’s appeared in the films, he still works independently from them. Though he may wish they’d come to help him as he explores a Multiverse of Madness.

Source: KCRW

March 16, 2022
Deep Thoughts: Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2023 Release Calendar, V3

The future slate of Marvel Studios is more fluid now than it’s ever been. With the industry STILL being impacted by COVID to some degree, a backlog of projects that could be shuffled in and out of any date at any time, and the interesting lack of a 2022 press preview kit from Disney, fans are left frivolously hypothesize, predict and speculate when to expect their most anticipated MCU projects. And we’re here to help you with your favorite addiction. This isn’t our first attempt to pin down 2023’s projects; you can check out V1 here and V2 here to compare notes.

As much as everybody wants to see the Samuel L. Jackson/Nicky Fury-led Secret Invasion, the 2022 schedule seems to be complete without it. While we still don’t know very much about the plot of either Secret Invasion or The Marvels, it does seem like the two could share some sort of narrative bridge that would be well-served by them debuting relatively close to one another.

By the time The Marvels hits theaters, it will have been in the can for nearly a year and a half. That’s part of the backlog of projects created by the pandemic, which really changed the well-established production paradigm that Marvel Studios had followed for well over a decade. That means a lot of time to breathe for the characters in between appearances which creates a lot of anticipation…and you know Marvel Studios likes that.

After a little bit of a delay to the start of its production, Echo looks like it’ll be up and running in Georgia in April of 2022 and permits have been filed around Atlanta for the month of May. Given the “grounded” nature of Maya and the types of characters being cast in supporting roles, it doesn’t sound like this one is going to be a VFX showcase, so it should be ready to stream on Disney Plus in March of 2023. Of course, the question on fans’ minds is how much will Daredevil and Kingpin be involved and how might this series dovetail into the Daredevil solo project in development at Marvel Studios. Here’s to hoping Maya remains the focus of this series as there’s plenty of room for Daredevil to explore on his own.

At some point in the first half of 2023, Ahsoka, a highly-anticipated, live-action Star Wars streaming series, will hit Disney Plus. We now know that Disney Plus is not opposed to streaming live-action Star Wars and Marvel Studios’ projects simultaneously, but if Ahsoka rolls out sometime in early May, X-Men ’97, which is on track for a 2023 release, could stream concurrently with that and fill the Marvel Studios streaming void until June, leaving some live-action stuff for later in the year.

James Gunn’s third Guardians’ film might well be his last Marvel Studios’ project. By the time this comes out, it’ll have been over a decade since Gunn started work on Guardians of the Galaxy and as we’ve seen through his recent work on The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, he’s really on top of his game. This one sounds like it’ll be something really special and emotional, with Gunn saying goodbye not only to Marvel but to some characters he’s really grown to love.

With the production of Season 2 of Loki on track to begin in June of 2022, it should be ready to roll out in June of 2023. While it isn’t clear whether or not Secret Invasion provides a direct runway to the events of The Marvels, it seems VERY clear that Loki Season 2 and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania share a narrative canvas and that the former can easily hand off a storyline to the latter.

2023 could end up being the Summer of Kang. Jonathan Majors thrilled audiences with a tease of what to expect when the character returns, and it looks like when he does it’ll be a much heavier dose. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will feature some version(s) of the character fresh off of what’s expected to be a major role in Season 2 of Loki. Of course, Kang’s not the only villain fans can look forward to, as M.O.D.O.K. is also reportedly making his live-action debut, played by Corey Stoll. Should the schedule fall this way, it would represent a great example of the type of synergy Marvel Studios can pull off thanks to a parent company that has its own streaming service and total control over the release schedule.

While a lot of fans are expecting this to be tied into Armor Wars, all the early evidence suggests it is essentially a follow-up to Riri Williams adventures in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. That’s not to say that Riri might not show up in Armor Wars or that the events of Ironheart might not lead into the Don Cheadle-led streamer, in fact it would make a lot of sense if she did, but Riri will be busy enough on her own following her huge role in Wakanda Forever.

When V2 of the 2023 Hypothetical Calendar was published, Agatha: House of Harkness had only just been revealed by the trades a few days before and the official Disney Plus Day announcement was about a week away. Now, it really does look like it could make the 2023 release slate given the tentative October 2022 start of production. It seems like the perfect Spooky Season release for Marvel Studios, so slotting it here seems a no-brainer.

After a couple of production delays, Blade is looking at a Fall 2022 start of principal photography, which makes it the best candidate for the currently unfilled November 3, 2023 release date, especially with production on Captain America 4 officially delayed until 2023. It doesn’t hurt, of course, that it’ll come out right around Halloween and feature a vampire hunter, and it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see this date slide back a week earlier where nothing major is currently scheduled for any studio.

Armor Wars, like Agatha: House of Harkness, is on track for a late-2022 start of production. While a 2023 debut is by no means set in stone for Armor Wars, there is a nice end-of-the-year window for it, should it be completed and ready to stream. We know very little about the project, but Kevin Feige seems to enjoy playing with the idea of having some streaming series thematically tied to the seasons in which they are released, so maybe, like Hawkeye, Armor Wars could be set during the holidays. After all, is there any better present than Stilt-Man?

March 16, 2022
Nick Fury and War Machine Will Interact for the First Time in ‘Secret Invasion’

Samuel L. Jackson seems to like to reveal fellow Secret Invasion cast members without a care in the world. Just recently, he revealed that Martin Freeman has a role in the upcoming Disney+ series, but another quote has found its way online where he also confirms Don Cheadle has a role in the upcoming series.

What makes this interesting is that while we did see a newspaper with him on it, this is the first confirmation that he’ll also have a role of some kind in the six-episode series, as he’ll share scenes with Jackson‘s Nick Fury. So, it seems that the Avenger might help them take on some Skrulls, or could even turn out to be one. What is interesting is that this will be the first time the two interacted in one of these projects.

C’mon, man, you walk on the set, Emilia’s amazing… Ben Mendelsohn, he’s awesome. Don, Don Cheadle… I got Don, that’s my golf buddy. I didn’t realize it, but til we did this thing, I was like, ‘We’ve never worked together.’ We just kinda know each other, hang out and laugh… but we’d never worked together, and we finally [got to work together].”
Samuel L. Jackson

Jackson certainly is excited, but won’t reveal any details that could give away what role Rhodey might have in the upcoming series. His addition does open up a potential connection to Armor Wars, but it’s uncertain where it takes place in the timeline. Given the original story included quite a few Avengers, it makes you wonder who else we might see make an appearance in the project. At this rate, anything is possible.

Source: The Playlist

March 16, 2022
REVIEW: ‘Deep Water’ Shows Its Hand Too Early

There was quite some excitement to see the return of director Adrian Lyne, who hasn’t made a film since 2002’s Unfaithful. His psychological thriller Deep Water explores the story of a married couple that has fallen out of love, but their mind games might have deadly consequences. With a star-studded cast including Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery, and more, it seemed like the perfect blend with the promise of a suspenseful erotic thriller. Yet, the film underdelivers on both sides by showing his hand too early and taking away any suspense that could’ve been built throughout the film’s nearly two-hour runtime.

The premise promises that this Hulu original film would explore a tug-of-war between a couple that is pushing each other to extremes. Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas do play their parts well when it comes to this romance that has lost its spark–ironic given they were dating for some time. Most of the movie’s conflict is carried by Armas‘ Melinda Van Allen, who pretty openly cheats on him; something that is put into the spotlight very early on in the film and was highlighted in the trailers. She consistently pushes him to the edge throughout that leads to some dangerous consequences. Sadly, her character feels maliciously one-note, even if there are shining moments where you get a better grasp of why their relationship is the way it is.

The only issue is that it’s not as interesting as the film tries to play it. We don’t really get a moment with Affleck‘s Vic to really understand what he sees in his wife. He’s a typical “I love her no matter what” type of guy, but there’s never really a moment that sells you on it. Plus, it drags Armas‘ character down an extra notch because she’s always portrayed as the bad one just pushing him. It’s there to make his character look good, but the film reveals way too much that it doesn’t really convince you that he’s a good guy. They want you to sympathize with him, but then they kind of just have him stare a lot and not even hide aspects of his character that should’ve been built up and kept a secret until much later in the film.

What adds to that issue is that there’s no redeeming factor or even a playful evil to balance it out. Armas‘ character is built up without a goal in mind. All she does is provoke him but you’re never sure what she’s getting out of it, especially given the film’s overall direction. It creates a disconnect between the story and the character’s development. Actually, it’s better described as character whiplash, because some scenes don’t flow as well as they should. Melinda suffers the most because she never is consistent with her actions. After an emotional moment, she just boomerangs back to default and there’s nothing later on to add any real tension.

As I am writing this I realize that the only character with an arc is Tracy Letts‘ Lionel Washington, who barely has a role in the story. Even the rest of the cast is just there to spout exposition or react to whatever is happening. Lil Rel Howery gets one or two funny scenes, but the rest of the cast or mostly forgettable. In a way, it makes you wonder why they had such an extensive cast of characters to begin it if none of them factor into the story in any way. It’s a shame to just use them as window dressing, especially because the film undermines their mission to make characters look better than they are if only the film didn’t flat out tell you. They don’t factor into the story, they’re distractions at best.

That’s kind of the core issue though, there’s no real suspense because everything is pretty obviously laid out. When a major turning point in the story happens, it’s not shocking nor is it leaving a lasting impression because the film doesn’t let it stick with you long enough to make it suspenseful A lot of this film was eerily similar to Gone Girl for me. The only thing that was missing would be the media subplot and it’s a more one-sided take on the story. Yet, unlike that film, it doesn’t feel as tightly knit to make it feel more like vignettes than a full-encompassing arc.

It just can’t build suspense because it shows its hand too early and it’s trying to be clever about it. Worse, it doesn’t even add anything besides what you would expect. Even the “erotic” aspect is half-baked. It would’ve worked exactly the same without its inclusion. It’s sad to say it because the conflict of love and passion is the most interesting aspect of the film. In a way, if Deep Water was purely about exploring Vic’s obsession with his wife and never knowing if she really was cheating on him, it could’ve worked better as a psychological game. If it focused more on the erotic thriller aspect, the film could’ve benefitted and focused more on its characters.

As it stands, the film simply lacks the punch to really nail its concept. If you’re looking for a decent distraction and something to fill that Gone Girl vibe, the film might be for you. Personally, if it kept more elements vague, the film would’ve benefited greatly from it. There is some nice cinematography here, and the music does add a little flair but the lack of suspense kills any mood it’s trying to create. It’s a shame that Lyne‘s return to directing isn’t as memorable as one would expect from the former Jacob’s Ladder director, but perhaps dipping his toes with this project could lead to him pursuing more in the future.

March 16, 2022
‘Daredevil’, Other Netflix Shows Get Unique Classification on Disney Plus

Matt Murdock may be in the MCU, but according to Disney Plus, the 3 seasons of Daredevil that originally streamed on Netflix from 2015-2018 are not. Daredevil, along with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher and The Defenders all appear in a brand new sub-category of Marvel content labeled “The Defenders Saga.”

The Defenders Saga series moved to Disney Plus and are accessible via a new feature on the streaming service that allows for mature content to be unlocked with an access code. While the series are grouped together under the new sub-category, none of them appear in any of the several sub-categories that are comprised of canonical Marvel Studios content, calling their identity as canon further into question.

Fans can be forgiven for continuing to be confused about the canonical nature of the series. With Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio reprising their respective roles as Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk in two different projects this past December, it’s easy to see why fans hoped their Netflix adventures would be included in the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. And without any sort of official word from Marvel Studios’ top brass, fans have been left to make their own decisions about where the projects stand. However, the fact that none of these series are included in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” or “Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order” sub-categories, seems to really add an extra layer of doubt.

And while fans may wish to continue to debate the canonicity of these series, recent MCU Projects have featured the opening up of the Multiverse and the introduction of Variants, making it quite possible that these characters and their stories while not part of the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, are still part of the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. And, of course, a show’s status as canon or non-canon should have absolutely no bearing on the enjoyment of the fanbase.

Marvel’s Defenders Saga series are now available to stream on Disney Plus

March 16, 2022
‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’ Lands on Disney Plus, Denied Spot in the MCU

After leaving Netflix earlier this month, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has found a new, an likely permanent, streaming home on Disney Plus. For several weeks now, fans have been anticipating its arrival on the streaming service, hoping to learn more about its status as Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, which is an ongoing debate in the Marvel fan community. Now that the long-running network soap opera has made its way to Disney Plus, what’s the answer?

It looks as though the people at Disney Plus received instructions NOT to include Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the MCU timeline. The series is not present in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe”, “Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order” or in any of the “Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase” categories. Instead, fans can find it in a category titled “Marvel Series and Specials”, which is where series like Runaways and Inhumans, which are also absent from the MCU categories, can be found.

Of note to it’s exclusion from the MCU is that several One-Shots featuring Phil Coulson, the main character of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., are located within each of the MCU-related categories. Of course, nothing short of an explicit statement from Kevin Feige of where it stands canonically will convince its fanbase of its status, but at least it has found a home where fans can enjoy it alongside all their favorite Marvel content.

March 16, 2022