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  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Reveals Alternative Goblin Glider

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Reveals Alternative Goblin Glider

    As Spider-Man: No Way Home is about to hit digital and it seems like more and more artwork is finding its way online. We just recently got a first look at an alternative design for the Lizard, and it seems that the Green Goblin also almost featured a very different glider. While Norman Osborne ditches his mask in the film, it seems that one version of the script may have seen him stitch it back together and plant it firmly on the glider, as revealed in some artwork by Josh Nizzi.

    What makes this version of the Glider stand out is that it’s actually put together by different elements from past Spidey films. It would not only include Stark tech but even be built based on some of Mysterio’s drones. The mask was an addition to pay tribute to the original design, but sadly it seems that Willem Dafoe didn’t get a chance to ride this great variation of the glider in the final film.

    Sadly, we don’t know what lead to them scrapping this idea, but it seems likely that having to explain how he got his hands on this tech might’ve just complicated an already stuffed-to-the-brim film. It would’ve brought the Damage Control unit back who vanish after their introduction earlier in the film, but it would only detract from the emotional build-up between the three Spider-Men in the film. So, sometimes cuts have to be made to ensure the flow of the film remains.

    Source: Instagram

  • Warner Bros. Discovery to Combine HBO Max and Discovery+

    Warner Bros. Discovery to Combine HBO Max and Discovery+

    It was only a question of time, but the official announcement has finally arrived. As Warner Bros. Discovery is about to be created when the AT&T merger finalizes with Warner Media, it seems that HBO Max and Discovery+ will be fused into one service rather than Disney’s multi-platform bundle strategy. Gunnar Wiedenfels, who will be the CFO of Warner Bros. Discovery, shared the following insights into their approach during the Deutsche Gank 30th Annual Media Internet & Telecom Conference:

    One of the most important items here is that we believe in a combined product as opposed to a bundle… We believe that the breadth and depth of this content offering is going to be a phenomenal consumer value proposition

    Gunnar Wiedenfels

    He also highlighted why they aren’t rushing this concept and want to give it some time to figure out how best to approach it.

    The direct-to-consumer business is obviously further along now than what we had four years ago. There’s a greater risk, you want to get that right. Between the two direct-to-consumer products, by the time we close, close to 100 million people are going to be affected as we make those changes. So that will need some very, very detailed and disciplined planning

    Gunnar Wiedensfels

    This change won’t happen overnight, so bundling will still be available early on as they try to figure out how to merge the platforms. It’s unclear if they’ll stick to the HBO Max or Discovery+ branding, as they may take a different approach. The services are currently available with an ad-supported and ad-free variant that is priced differently. So, we might have to wait for some time before we get a clearer vision of

    what the streaming future has in store for HBO Max and Discovery+.

    Source: Variety

  • REVIEW: Netflix’s ‘Bad Vegan’ Tells the Demise of the Queen of Vegan

    REVIEW: Netflix’s ‘Bad Vegan’ Tells the Demise of the Queen of Vegan

    The newest craze in Hollywood seems to be creating television series based on scandalous magazine articles. From Netflix’s Inventing Anna to Hulu’s The Dropout, Hollywood has found its latest obsession: true crime. Unlike those shows, however, Bad Vegan doesn’t craft a fictional story. Instead, it opts to use the real people to tell everything about this scandal, and it’s ultimately a decision that pays off.

    While Inventing Anna and The Dropout are both entertaining in their own right, despite the former being an utter mess in its depiction of the victims, they offer a sometimes fictional take on the scandals. The four episodes of Bad Vegan do not allow for a fictitious and entertaining take on the Pure Food & Wine scandal. Sarma Melngailis, who was once deemed the Queen of Vegan, had a fast rise and fall at Pure Food & Wine, and despite everything that happened, she willingly sits down to tell the story from her perspective. Naturally, though, her take on what happened is told with a veil of sorts, as while open, Melngailis, is not truly reliable in her telling of the events.

    Like The Dropout, Melngailis isn’t the lone party responsible for what ultimately results in her downfall. There is a man involved and, honestly, he’s one of the more frustrating bits of the story. Just as Melngailis is riding the high of Pure Food & Wine, with her raw vegan restaurant taking over, she meets a man who will ruin it all. How he meets him — and just how Alec Baldwin is involved — are fascinating because you want to believe there’s truly no way someone like Melngailis could fall for him… and yet, she does. There are red flags galore from the moment they connect, but she’s so desperate to believe in him, she’s blinded by the thought of love. What’s worse, however, is that when she does finally begin to question things about him, she still decides to stay.

    Melngailis does many things that are questionable during their relationship and, with just four episodes, it’s not easy to present a fair painting of everything that would eventually unfold. The series does its best to make use of its limited time, and for the most part it does; it wastes no time setting up her rise, but seems to spend little time on how everything falls apart. It’s the one issue with such a limited timeframe to tell such a massive story. In fact, five episodes probably would have benefited the story a heck of a lot more. This is simply because the final episode has to unwrap so much, that by the end, its frustrating where the story leaves off.

    For those unfamiliar with the scandal behind Pure Food & Wine, like myself, there’s no denying this is an easy to devour documentary series. The whole ordeal is just as fascinating as it is morally wrong. Melngailis is an uncomfortable narrator. She’s often stiff and careful with how she chooses her words. It’s clear she wants to tell the whole story, but there’s also a part of her that seems eager to put it behind her from the moment she begins speaking. The use of the other parties in the series, though, to tell their take on everything is a smart move because they are far more open and honest. It’s why this format works much better than the fictional takes on scandals we’ve seen courtesy of Inventing Anna and The Dropout. As absurd as those stories both are, the story told in Bad Vegan is one that is hard to believe at first. The false promises, the deception, the fraud and the corruption? It’s absolutely fascinating to watch unfold with each new interview and episode.

    All in all, Bad Vegan is a limited series to add to your Netflix queue. It’s one of the better takes on a scandal such as this one, and with just four episodes, it’s easy to burn through. For those looking to get lost in a world full of money, celebrity, cuisine and immortality — give Bad Vegan a chance. Just remember, everything you’re seeing on screen did happen, no matter how crazy it all sounds. It’s a heck of a ride, but it’s worth it in the end.

  • REPORT: Marvel Studios’ ‘Echo’ Adds Graham Greene

    REPORT: Marvel Studios’ ‘Echo’ Adds Graham Greene

    All eyes have been on the upcoming Marvel Studios’ releases of the year, but slowly we’re getting more details on other projects soon to enter production. Among them is the recent update on Echo, which is seemingly eyeing a production start soon. It looks like they may have also already started their casting process, as The Direct has just revealed that veteran and Academy Award-nominated actor, Graham Greene, has joined the production in an undisclosed role.

    The actor is famous for his performances in Dances with Wolves for which he was also nominated for an Academy Award, The Green Mile, and Wind River. It would be another big series for the actor as well, as he recently appeared in American Gods last year, and is currently working on The Last Of Us for HBO.

    Greene is a great addition to the series, especially as the series is eyeing to embrace Maya Lopez’s Indigenous background. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see many actors with many more Indigenous actors join the production. As far as we know, it seems that the production hopes to start soon with some exterior shots of Grantville planned. The project’s location manager teased that it’ll mainly focus on a small town, which was our first hint at the series’ direction. We’ll see if some official casting finds its way online in the near future.

    Source: The Direct

  • Benedict Cumberbatch Improvised a Major Moment in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Benedict Cumberbatch Improvised a Major Moment in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Spider-Man: No Way Home is no longer a secret. All of the surprises, cameos, details, and moments from the massively succesful film came to light when it was released in December. Three months later, the cast and crew are talking more about the making of the movie ahead of its digital release on March 15. While a lot of attention is still on Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s appearances as their respective Spider-Men, Benedict Cumberbatch has has plenty to say with respect to his experience on set and Doctor Strange’s role in the film.

    In an interview with Collider, Cumberbatch revealed that he improvised one of Doctor Strange’s most memorable moments and one of the film’s most emotional. While praising director Jon Watts’ ability to adapt, the actor described how he decided to alter the scene where Peter Parker chooses to have the world forget him:

    There was this one moment near the end of the film, where we were really trying to make that moment work, at the top of the Statue of Liberty. Tom [Holland] was having a tough time with the script, as it was before the reshoots. And then, we did the reshoots and I came up with this idea of, to show that I love him, I didn’t want him to make the sacrifice of being forgotten. He was like, ‘That’s gonna be in the film.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, cool. That’s great.’

    Benedict Cumberbatch

    The moment in No Way Home that Cumberbatch describes is a memorable one. While Doctor Strange spent much of the film as a somewhat stoic mentor or helping hand, the moment where he shows a sense of loss at the thought of forgetting Peter highlights the emotional tone of the ambitious movie and makes Peter’s decision all that more impactful. Cumberbatch also revealed that his interest in improvising was influenced by his time on the set of Avengers: Infinity War:

    You throw yourself out there in those huge sand pits. The remarkable thing I learned from Tom Holland and RDJ on Infinity War was seeing how at ease he was, just in improvising about Aunt May with Robert Downey Jr. He did this thing which wasn’t scripted at all. I’m quite a canon guy. It’s about the text for me. To be free with that and to have some maneuverability in it and to be able to improvise, and on such a large canvas, was a real eye-opener.

    Benedict Cumberbatch

    Fans can refresh their own memories of No Way Home when it makes its digital release on March 15. Audiences can also look forward to seeing more of Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters May 6, 2022.

    Source: Collider via The Direct

  • ‘Swiss Army Man’ Directors Passed On ‘Loki’ Season One Because of Another Multiverse Project

    ‘Swiss Army Man’ Directors Passed On ‘Loki’ Season One Because of Another Multiverse Project

    The multiverse is quite popular these days, for Marvel Studios and beyond. The Marvel Cinematic Universe kickstarted its own multiversal adventure in the finale of Loki’s first season, and it has already been followed up with What If… ?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and soon Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The chaotic branching of timelines seen in Episode 6 of Loki may very well go down as one of the most iconic moments of the MCU, and the series as a whole was generally critically succesful as well.

    Director Kate Herron ultimately brought Loki to the small screen. However, apparently Marvel was in early talks with a directing duo who ultimately said no to the Disney+ series because of another multiverse project. Swiss Army Man directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert revealed the ironic twist of fate in an interview with IndieWire, as their multiversal project Everything Everywhere All At Once was in production about the same time:

    [Scheinhert] “There were meetings with Marvel about ‘Loki’ that we didn’t even take. We were trying to make our own multiverse movie,”

    [Kwan] “No, the meeting was set, and we went, but by the time we went we said we probably weren’t going to do it,” he said. “We were trying to shoot our own movie at the same time.”

    Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

    While the duo passed on Season One of Loki, the fact that they were in the mix at some point could mean that Marvel still has its eye on the directors for future projects. Still, the two expressed their doubts on working on an interconnected project, like those found in the MCU:

    “Then we can just throw out anything that’s not working. I respect people who are able to play in someone else’s sandbox but that’s kind of intimidating because if there’s a preexisting fanbase for a character, and a lore, a mythology and I’m not allowed to throw out something that’s not working, that seems hard.”

    Daniel Kwan

    Marvel Studios has clearly found great success with directors that were not already well-established blockbuster filmmakers. Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi and Captain America and Avengers franchise tentpoles Joe and Anthony Russo are a few of the biggest examples.

    Loki is confirmed for Season Two, and directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are attached to the project. While it will be some time before it is ready for release, Mobius actor Owen Wilson said in February that production on the second season would begin soon.

    Source: IndieWire via The Direct

  • ‘What If…?’ Wins Best Animated Series at the Critic’s Choice Awards

    ‘What If…?’ Wins Best Animated Series at the Critic’s Choice Awards

    It looks like it was a big night for Marvel Studios at the Critic’s Choice Awards, as they managed to take in one win during the event with What If…? nabbing the Best Animated Series award. In a strong year for animation, it’s a big win for Marvel Studios especially with it being their first venture into animation. Some might question why Arcane isn’t nominated, but the Netflix series sadly wasn’t eligible due to the cut-off date for the awards. What If…? was going up against other titles which include Big Mouth, Bluey, Bob’s Burgers, The Great North, and Q-Force.

    Dune. WandaVision was nominated for Best Limited Series but lost against Mare of Eastwood. Paul Bettany, Elisabeth Olsen, and Kathryn Hahn were both nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress respectively but didn’t take the win home. So, it’s great to see Marvel studios manage to take home at least one award after also mostly being kept out of the Oscars again in their go-to visual effects category.

    Of course, we recently heard that What If…? will return this year with a new season, which adds further credence to their plans of this animated project being a yearly release. It’s unclear if future seasons will unshackle itself from having to forcefully follow specific set storylines, but it does seem like the Guardians of the Multiverse maybe something from the past. Of course, they may also find a recurring villain breaking the multiverse to call them to action once again. We’ll see once we learn more about the next season.

    Source: Twitter

  • The Scarlet Witch’s Powers Will Be on Full Display in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    The Scarlet Witch’s Powers Will Be on Full Display in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Over the course of the 9-episode streaming series WandaVision, fans saw Wanda Maximoff go on a powerful and emotional journey of self-discovery and unlock an enormous amount of abilities that she was previously unaware she could wield. When the series concluded, Wanda had become the Scarlet Witch and was studying the Darkhold in search for the power to bring back her children. As incredibly powerful as she was in Avengers: Endgame, there’s no doubt she’s powered up since.

    The newly dubbed Scarlet Witch is set to play a major role in Marvel Studios next theatrical release, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and, as the trailers have shown, she looks to be even more powerful yet. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Marvel Studios producer Richie Palmer teased that Lizzy Olsen’s Wanda may prove to be a more powerful sorceress than Stephen Strange.

    I don’t know who’s more powerful than Wanda. Meeting the Wanda Maximoff at the end of Endgame would have been a lot for Strange. Who comes out on top as the most powerful being in the universe? Maybe we find out at the end of the movie.

    Richie Palmer

    It’s an interesting juxtaposition set by Palmer and one that seems to place the two characters, who as Palmer points out, have not really spent much time together, on opposite sides of things despite Strange seeking out Wanda’s help. Of course, the trailer has hinted at Strange and Wanda not seeing things from the same perspective and with Wanda continuing to study the Darkhold, it’s increasingly likely that she’ll be changed by its dark powers. And so while Palmer promises that we’ll get to see Wanda unleash her powers in the upcoming film, fans are left wondering what her own personal endgame is and if she and Strange might not find out who is more powerful through a good, old-fashioned duel.

    So who is more powerful? Fans don’t have long to wait now as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to debut on May 6, just less than 2 months away!

  • Tom Brady is Bad for the NFL

    Tom Brady is Bad for the NFL

    Well, folks. The inevitable has happened. After two blissful months of a Tom Brady-less National Football League, the legendary quarterback has announced that he will not retire. Instead, he will return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, intent on looming over the sport for at least one more year. No doubt this is music to the ears of Bucs fans, who have likely just released a breath they’ve been holding in since the beginning of February. It’s also probably great news for any celebrity whose only knowledge of football is that Tom Brady is good, and own a version of his jersey to prove it. Unfortunately, for the rest of the world, it means yet another season in which nobody is allowed to shine brighter than TB12.

    Brady, now entering his 23rd year in the league, is indisputably the greatest player of all time. Statistically speaking, it’s just impossible to argue against. Nobody in the history of football has had a better career, with 7 Super Bowl wins stacked on top of 10 appearances, 3 NFL MVPs, 15 Pro Bowls, and countless individual NFL records broken. The man is a monster who just keeps going, and going, and going, and going. Yet, his endless employment may not be the blessing his numbers suggest it would be. In fact, whatever deal the oddly youthful quarterback may have struck with the Devil is probably going to be worse for the NFL than it is good. Not necessarily in a competitive way, but more so in qualitative one.

    You see, just like any other television program, live sports are dependent on ratings. Television ratings tend to go up when your show has a famous lead that people would like to tune in and see, and there has not been an athlete since Michael Jordan that’s felt like as big of a leading man as Tom Brady. The NFL knows this, and it’s been apparent since they joined the modern age of social media that Brady would be the face of their sport. When Tom is doing well, the NFL seems to be doing well, and somehow Tom is always doing well. What this means is that every year, without fail, no matter how incredibly well other younger quarterbacks may have performed, the conversation always comes back to Brady.

    While this may seem impressive for now, it actually has the potential to stunt the league’s growth in the long run. As with most natural cycles, football must be allowed to usher in new eras as the old take their leave. Fresh young stars, duking it out in exciting newborn rivalries, telling original stories and letting them live on the field. A game adapting to new play styles and a wide variety of teams with drastically different skillsets. Think about those glorious few weeks of playoff football in January, the ones after Brady had been eliminated from Super Bowl contention. They were unpredictable, thrilling, and most importantly, the general public were rooting for good games instead of a good player. There is a place for veteran players with “unfinished business”, as Brady claims to have, but he simply doesn’t fit satisfyingly in the narrative.

    A lot of what keeps fans invested in the NFL is it’s storytelling. One would hope the games aren’t rigged, but if they were, one might at least hope they were rigged to be enjoyable. There is nothing fun about watching the same person win repeatedly for decades. This is not to say Brady hasn’t earned his victories, or that anything should be done to stop him from winning. That wouldn’t be ethical, and it’s not the point of the article. It’s just to say that the 5x Super Bowl MVP should have a better idea of when to make way for the next generation. By sticking around, Brady ensures that the NFL remains more or less the same one fans have come to know. Any hope of seeing a competition for his G.O.A.T. successor, any enthusiasm for other veterans who’ve yet to snag a ring to maybe finally get one (a la Matthew Stafford). Compelling storylines thrown to the wind for yet another year of “but can he do it again?”

    To link the message being conveyed with another recent hot topic, think of this in terms of Batman movies. People have always loved Batman, from the whimsical 1960s Adam West series to the gothic Tim Burton movies of the late 1980s. Of course, certain takes had more fans than others, but there was a place for each version of the character to be appreciated. That was, until Christopher Nolan changed the game by dropping his trilogy of critically acclaimed films. Since then, as they are still considered the greatest Batman adaptations out there, any and all Batman film or television projects have been graded based on how they stack up to The Dark Knight. No live-action Joker can exist without being compared to Heath Ledger, and every frame of every one of Batman’s movements will be put in an hours-long YouTube video explaining why the former is still the better. If this was not obnoxious enough, imagine The Dark Knight re-released in theaters every year to remind people it was still the best, casting a huge shadow over any other mint editions that dare come after it. It would get old, quickly, and people might stop caring for Batman movies altogether.

    Tom Brady is an excellent, time-defying football player. It’s just that every year he stays in the league, it prevents the league from crafting any sort of identity away from him. There is a new dawn on the horizon in football, we might simply have to wait a little longer for it. Cross some fingers that it’s another early playoff exit, because it’s time to move on from Tom. Even if he won’t admit it yet.

  • Return of the GOAT: Tom Brady Announces His NFL Return

    Return of the GOAT: Tom Brady Announces His NFL Return

    Surprising mostly nobody, Tom Brady announced his intentions to “unretire” and return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

    Brady, who will be 45 by the time he enters his 24th NFL season this Fall, already holds NFL career records most championships by a player (7), passing yards (84,520), passing TDs (624), completions (7,263) and, to balance the scales, most times sacked (622). Essentially an afterthought following his career at the University of Michigan, Brady has become a professional sports icon.

    His return follows a loss in the Divisional Playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Los Angeles Rams. Despite not leading the Bucs to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, Brady threw for a personal best 5,316 yards in 2021 in a 13-4 campaign. Since his retirement, speculation has grown that Brady would return, though many fans believed he’d switch coasts and end up in San Francisco. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but for now, it’s enough to welcome back the GOAT to the NFL.