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Chloé Zhao Reflects on ‘Eternals’ Critical Reception

Eternals was quite the departure for Marvel Studios, as indie darling Chloé Zhao spearheaded a project that tried to explore a very different part of the MCU. What seemed like a sure hit ended up becoming a surprisingly divisive film among its critical reception as it ended on 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience reception has overall been more positive, but it definitely left its mark on the market as a curious experiment of Marvel Studios trying to break away from its usual fare.

In an interview with Empire, the indie director looks back at the overall reception and offers her takeaway from what the melding of these two worlds may have ended up leading to its reception. She highlights generally how a general “level of comfort” has set itself within the industry for Marvel films just as well as for indie films.

When people have that feeling, like they need to put order into things, they need to understand it by putting it into boxes… It is not about us, it is about them. And I say that lovingly, because they have a level of comfort [with] how their entertainment and their world – their beloved Marvel, or their beloved indie filmmaker – functions. That’s the order of the logic of their world that’s being disturbed. So I appreciate their passion, to try to make sense of it.
Chloé Zhao

She then goes on to highlight that the melding of these two worlds has just ended up adding different perspectives that may take away something or not. She highlights those that look for that conflict, while also discussing that making people “uncomfortable” pushes their project forward.

So I completely understand the divisiveness coming from critics and the fans. Because when you take this to extremes that are seen as opposition – the world I come from and the world of Marvel, that has been divided in a way that’s so unfair and unfortunate – and to merge the way we did, I actually see the reaction as a testament to how much we had merged with each other; how uncomfortable that might make people feel.
Chloé Zhao

Overall, the viewer reception has been stronger than the critical one, but you can definitely see that some have taken away different things from this film. I’ve personally tended to call it an indie film with a Marvel coating due to the way it focuses more on character moments rather than the usual bombastic fair–the final being the exception to that rule. One could also argue that some actors didn’t fully sell their characters as much as they could’ve due to an enlarged cast on top of a very exposition-heavy film. It’s still interesting to hear the director’s thoughts and we’ll see if the film might get a second life later down the line.

Source: Empire

March 15, 2022
Kevin Feige Debunks Rumors on Why Scott Derrickson Exited the ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel

We’re all excited to see what the future has in store for the ever-expanding Marvel multiverse with Sam Raimi‘s premiere MCU film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverseof Madness. Yet, at one point this project was going to be in the hands of director Scott Derrickson, who introduced the character with the first solo title. Sadly, it seemed that creative differences led to him exiting the project. Naturally, that got the rumor mill going on his take being “too scary” as he wanted to dive into a more horror-themed entry.

Luckily, in the latest Empire magazine, while promoting the film Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige also takes a look back at what could’ve been. He doesn’t give away any details, but once again highlights that the reason Derrickson left was due to creative differences, but they were all-in for the “creepier side” of the MCU. So, he is debunking any rumors on the horror aspect being the reason they went their separate ways. His full quote is as follows:

We love Scott and I think Scott feels the same. Nobody believes it, but it was just creative differences. There’s been some thought that that was the creative difference with Scott and Marvel, and it was not. Because we love that idea. The intention was that Strange would guide us into a much creepier side of the world
Kevin Feige

The director has opened up on the matter some time ago, where he highlighted that he’d be open to returning to the franchise to direct another entry. He’s also still in a producing role on the project, so he didn’t leave it with ill intent and also shared his love for the horror veteran Raimi taking over the project. Disney+ is adding Halloween specials with the first potentially focusing on Werewolf by Night. So, maybe it’s his gateway to explore more horror-themed projects in the MCU if he ever desired to return.

Source: Empire via The Direct

March 15, 2022
Lucasfilm Executive Denies That Darth Maul Was Scrapped From ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Earlier Drafts

Just yesterday The Hollywood Reporter posted a story detailing some creative issues that went on behind the scenes during the development of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. They reported that Darth Maul was originally set to be the main protagonist and that actor Ray Park was initially set to reprise his role as the fan-favorite character. Yet, it seems that an executive denounced this report. Bespin Bulletin provided a screengrab of a tweet from Pablo Hidalgo, a Lucasfilm Creative Executive, quoting a tweet regarding the report and denying it, stating that “A brown sun rises. Bullshit has been spilled“.

The report detailed that the Kenobi series saw a total creative overhaul when its core storyline seemingly was too similar to The Mandalorian. That led to Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni‘s involvement with the latter recommending the addition of the Inquisitors and Darth Vader. Maul being part of the series would’ve been an odd addition considering the story between him and Kenobi was concluded in Star Wars: Rebels. Vader and the Inquisitors make more sense, as it not only fits the timeline but there also has been hinted at that Kenobi and Vader had faced each other before their final confrontation in A New Hope.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to stream on Disney+ on May 25th and will feature the return of Ewan Mcgregor as the titular character. The series was directed by Deborah Chow and written by Joby Harold.

Source: Bespin Bulletin

March 15, 2022
‘Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof May Be Working on a ‘Star Wars’ Film

While Star Wars has been dominating Disney+, Lucasfilm has seemingly felt a bit aimless when it came to their film ventures. We’re still waiting on any update for any of their announce films, especially with many rumors hinting that Patty Jenkins‘ Rogue Squadron is being postponed indefinitely. Well, according to The Ankler it seems that Lost co-creator and the mastermind behind HBO’s Watchmen series may be working on an unnamed Star Wars film.

Keep in mind, that we’ve had a variety of announcements or hints at projects that never ended up picking up steam over at Lucasfilm. Rian Johnson had a new trilogy planned before it was just forgotten. Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were also going to take control over an unnamed project that was also left on the wayside. So, even if he is brainstorming a project it sadly isn’t a definite moving forward.

The only other confirmed film based in a galaxy far far away would be the one in development by Taika Waititi. Outside of a short logo tease during Disney’s Investor’s Day back in 2020, we’ve heard barely anything on the project. While they have been starting production on various Disney+ series, here’s hoping that they might finally get into the flow of letting projects enter some form of production. A recent reveal has hinted that Rogue Squadron may still be eyeing a 2023 release, but there’s no word on when production starts. So, here’s hoping we get an update sooner rather than later.

Source: The Ankler via IGN

March 15, 2022
Samuel L. Jackson Has Talked to ‘The Mandalorian’s Bryce Dallas Howard on a Return as Mace Windu

No one wants Mace Windu to return to Star Wars more than Samuel L. Jackson. He’s been very vocal about a potential return in the role and has actively campaigned that he can wield his purple lightsaber again. There are quite a few theories that he survived his encounter with Palpatine, who used force lightning to push him out of the window. Yet, we’re still waiting for any news on a potential return.

It seems the actor has also been getting impatient and seemingly already discussed a potential return with director Bryce Dallas Howard, who has made a significant contribution to The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. It seems that she is also on board to have him return.

Definitely. There’s a huge history of people with one hand returning in Star Wars… The only person I’ve ever said that to about coming back was Bryce Dallas Howard, ’cause I just did a movie with her. And she directs episodes of The Mandalorian, so, ‘You think you might be able to hook a brother up? I mean you like me, right?’ She’s like, ‘I love you, you’re amazing!’ So, ‘Put me back in there… Put me in coach, I’m ready!’ You know, I’ll learn to lightsaber left-handed. Come on, hook me up.
Samuel L. Jackson

There have been quite a few theories that it was Mace Windu that saved Grogu from the Clone Troopers’ enacting Order 66. Not only would it be fitting with a wounded Windu trying his best to save one of the surviving Padawans, but it would also open up for a curious reunion in the upcoming third season. Of course, as the actor will also be leading the Secret Invasion Disney+ series, he certainly could lead his own spinoff series. We all can agree that we want to see him get his purple lightsaber back.

Source: Happy Sad Confused Podcast via The Direct

March 15, 2022
Latest Empire Issue Confirms the Name Illuminati for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

The latest Empire magazine has finally found its way online and it seemingly includes some curious details about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. What may be the biggest reveal is that the article finally names the mysterious multiversal organization that captures Doctor Strange at some point in the film. While it seemed like it was inspired by the comics organization called Illuminati, it seemed that producer Richie Palmer was hesitant to call them by that name.

I will say that I love the Illuminati. But if we ever introduce the Illuminati in the future, it might be more MCU-driven and have some more ties to our characters in the MCU, versus just replicating what’s in the comics.
Richie Palmer

Yet, the latest Empire issue may have accidentally confirmed that it is, in fact, the Illuminati that we know from the comics with a brief mention in the captions as the organization that Strange is facing for his crimes against the multiverse. It’s the exact same scene that we see in the trailer, where we hear the familiar voice of Patrick Stewart.

Stewart was shy on confirming that the Super Bowl trailer voice was his, but would eventually confirm it. We still don’t know exactly who the members are of the Illuminati, but it does seem safe to assume that a Variant of Iron Man and Captain Marvel is part of the team. It would be fun to see other familiar faces from older Marvel projects, or even characters you would least expect. It’s curious that Empire would just use the name while producers are shy on using the name, but with reshoots currently ongoing who knows if that name might not even survive the final cut.

Source: Twitter, Empire

March 15, 2022
Denis Villeneuve Offers Update on ‘Dune: Part Two’

After making quite the splash at the box office, Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune has gone on to also become somewhat of an awards darling. Of course, many are quite focused on what the future has in store for the franchise. There have been hints that WarnerMedia is interested in expanding the franchise as its own cinematic universe, but most eyes are currently on Dune: Part Two, which will continue the story of Paul Atreides after being stranded in the dunes of Arrakis.

In an interview with Collider, director Denis Villeneuve has confirmed that they’ve wrapped up work on the screenplay, while still highlighting that it consistently changes throughout the production. As such, they are currently preparing to start production already.

The screenplay is finished mostly, but it’s always a work in progress. It’ll be a work in progress until final cut, but I will say it’s solidified. I have a script in my hands. We are in prep right now.
Denis Villeneuve

It makes sense that they’d fast-track the project as it’s supposed to release next year already. Villeneuve has hinted in the past that they’ve already prepared most of the work, and he kept it open to just jump back into this world and start production on the sequel. He is interested in tackling it as a trilogy with the second book becoming the third entry. Dune‘s original release was split up into two films due to just how much the story generally explores. So, it’ll be interesting to see how these films connect.

Source: Collider

March 15, 2022
J.K. Simmons Confirms He’ll Start Work on ‘Invincible’ “Very Soon”

One of the biggest hits of last year was the animated adaptation of the popular Robert Kirkman comic series. No, not The Walking Dead but his superhero-inspired storyline titled Invincible about a rather dysfunctional family. Amazon brought the iconic series to life, as Mark Grayson come to realize something about his father Nolan Grayson a.k.a. Omni-Man. J.K. Simmons voices the most powerful superhero and recently revealed in an interview that they are getting ready to record their lines soon for the second season. While he can’t give away any details, he does highlight that we might still have to wait quite sometime before it will finally release.

Again, always wary of spoilers, but I think I’m allowed to say that we’re going back to work very soon in the recording booth. Now, the lag between us doing our first recordings and the animation being completed is obviously many months and probably more than a year, I would guess. But, yes, Invincible is getting to work in earnest and season two is imminent, I will say. There’s a nice vague term.
J.K. Simmons

If the comics are anything to go by, the upcoming second season will be quite darker than the first season. Sadly, as the animation takes quite a lot of time to finalize, them starting voice work soon is definitely a sign that we’ll have to wait until late 2023 until the series releases. Hopefully, we’ll get an early renewal to explore the entire adaptation so they can jump directly into the next chapter once they wrap up the current release. For now, we can only wait for an update.

Source: Discussing Film

March 15, 2022
J.K. Simmons Teases Commissioner Gordon’s Expanded Role in ‘Batgirl’

Actor J.K. Simmons is busy doing press for the Oscar-nominated film Being the Ricardos, for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination. The Academy Award-winning actor has been quite active in other projects recently, so it is no surprise that Simmons is getting plenty of questions about his various superhero projects, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Invincible, and the upcoming Batgirl HBO Max film.

While Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright played Gotham City’s Jim Gordon in the most recent live-action adaptation of the character in the recently released The Batman, Simmons took on the role of Commissioner Gordon in Justice League (2017) and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021). Unlike the latest iteration of the Dark Knight, these two films took place in the DCEU. So, it is not too surprising that Simmons is returning to play the character in the upcoming DCEU film, Batgirl. While Gordon had a limited role up to this point, Simmons told Discussing Film that there would be much more of Commissioner Gordon in Batgirl:

It’s much more than I got to do in my brief stint as Commissioner Gordon in Zack Snyder’s film. And really, it was fun because it was a completely different side of Commissioner Gordon. All that we saw in the little snippets of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, in either the original or in Zack’s brilliant, expanded cut, it was just Commissioner Gordon being business-like and needing Batman’s help. In this film, I think I’m allowed to say since it does center on Batgirl, we see much more of Commissioner Gordon at home.
J.K. Simmons

The actor went on the praise directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, noting:

Dude, those guys are crazy! I don’t know how they do it, and they had been shooting for four weeks or so by the time I joined. I met them via Zoom, and I was under the L track outside of my boxing gym in Chicago when we first spoke. They just bring such an energy. I’ve already compared them to a couple of like two-year-old Weimaraners, who have been pent up in the back of a station wagon all day and somebody just let them loose. The energy and the passion that they bring for making movies was a really fun energy to be around and then the fact that they also really know what they’re doing is is a nice part of the overall experience.
J.K. Simmons

Along with his renewed role of J. Jonah Jameson in the latest Spider-Man trilogy, Simmons is playing beloved comic book characters in both the Marvel and DC universes. But he added, “I’m still not sure I understand all the various multiverse aspects of, you know, DC or Marvel.” It is unclear when Batgirl will release given the major delays in the DCEU’s upcoming theatrical schedule, though there’s an argument to be made that it would make the perfect 2023 holiday release.

Source: DiscussingFilm

March 15, 2022
First ‘Ms. Marvel’ Trailer Offers First Look at Disney+’s Take on Her Embiggening Powers in Action

The first trailer has finally arrived for Ms. Marvel, which will release earlier than expected with a June 8th premiere. Not only did we get a release date, but it also finally gave us our first full look at her new abilities, which are quite the departure from her comic origins. Instead of stretching her body, her abilities seem to be strongly based on creating constructs based on energy. We see her wear gauntlets that activate her powers, echoing Captain Marvel gaining her own in the 2019 film. Luckily, we later did get a visual inspired by the Embiggening powers that she had in the comics, but the giant fist is made of crystal.

It does seem like she won’t be just creating constructs, as we also get teases of her being able to use it in creative ways. We briefly see her using her new abilities to close her door before her father walks in. She doesn’t seem like she is wearing her gauntlets in this sequence though.

We also briefly see her using the abilities like additional armor over her arms and legs. So, we might expect a lot of creative uses of these powers even if it’s a shame they are moving away from her polymorph abilities from the comics. They seemingly wanted to build a stronger connection between her and the hero she looks up to.

the trailer does look great and it does seem to take a lot of inspiration from modern high school series, like Netflix’s Never Have I Ever. It’ll be interesting to see if she has to struggle with her abilities even if she is no longer Inhuman seemingly. Of course, who knows if they also take a different direction with her character to build up towards that development. For now, you can watch the full trailer here:

Source: YouTube

March 15, 2022