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  • ‘Daredevil’ Actor Causes Chaos with ‘Born Again’ Time Jump Reveal

    ‘Daredevil’ Actor Causes Chaos with ‘Born Again’ Time Jump Reveal

    After dodging questions about the canonicity of Marvel Television’s Netflix Defenders-verse series for years, Marvel Studios finally retconned them into the MCU in January 2024. According to Brad Winderbaum, who has served as Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios for over three years and had a lot of time to think about it, the stories told over 13 seasons and 161 episodes on Netflix are “well-integrated” into the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. And so, after initially planning to make Daredevil: Born Again a “whole new deal” with no connection to the Netflix series, Marvel Studios switched gears. The abrupt change of plan allowed for several actors from Netflix’s Daredevil who were originally not part of the project to be worked into the series once showrunner Dario Scardapane and directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead took over creative duties.

    So, I can say that up until this point, we’ve been a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline and what’s not. That was born, frankly, out of a period at the studio where we were like “we have to stick the landing with Avengers.” It was another part of the company developing the Netflix stuff; we were aware of what they were doing, they were aware of what we were doing, but it was a lot.. it was a lot to balance anyway. But now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.

    -Brad Winderbaum, January 2024
    (L-R) Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) in Marvel Television’s DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Giovanni Rufino. © 2024 MARVEL.

    Wilson Bethel was among the key contributors to the Netflix series who was brought back into the fold to reprise his role as Benjamin Pointdexter, aka Bullseye. From the looks of photos from the New York City set of Daredevil: Born Again, the all-new, all-different Bullseye will cause chaos at some point in the first season of the Marvel TV streaming series. Perhaps taking a page from his character, Bethel recently caused quite a stir with comments about the amount of time that will have passed in the MCU between the final season of Daredevil and Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again.

    In an interview with Collider, Bethel discussed the challenges of picking back up with a character five years after last inhabiting him. As he continued on, he also claimed that the same five-year gap will apply to the series, meaning Daredevil: Born Again would begin five years after the conclusion of Season 3 of Daredevil.

    “So there’s kind of like this funny thing stepping back after five years where Born Again will pick up with that amount of time having transpired. The show doesn’t pick up the day after we last saw it. It picks up five years later. And so in theory, these are characters who have all lived five years of life and all of the twists and turns that you take in the meantime. So whether or not even those stories are necessarily on screen, there’s just that little extra bit of life in there, which I think is… as an actor, it gives you an opportunity to bring whatever your own journey has been in that time and they get sort of a little longer in the tooth.”

    -Wilson Bethel

    That claim by Bethel has proven problematic for hardcore fans. Though the events of Netflix’s Daredevil series were not included in the MCU Official Timeline book, the best approximation is that they took place in universe in 2017. A five-year jump forward from then would set Daredevil: Born Again, or at least part of it, in 2022. Setting it in 2022 would mean that part of the series would take place during the Blip, which is a theory that has been discussed before. With Charlie Cox‘s first MCU appearance as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home was set in 2024 and his appearance as Daredevil in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law was set in 2025, it is possible that the studio set portions of Daredevil: Born Again between 2017 and 2024. However, it’s also clear that part of the new Marvel Television series takes place after the events of Echo which is clearly set after Hawkeye which was set definitively in 2024. Chaos.

    Of course, it’s entirely possible that Bethel misspoke or was mistaken; however, it’s certainly worth considering that Daredevil: Born Again may cover quite a bit of territory and not be set solely in the MCU’s present day. With the March 4, 2025 release date creeping up on us, it won’t be long until we know for sure!

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Skeleton Crew’: D+ Clarifies Confusion Around the New Series Place on the Star Wars Timeline

    ‘Skeleton Crew’: D+ Clarifies Confusion Around the New Series Place on the Star Wars Timeline

    Set on the very Earth-like planet of At Attin, Lucasfilm’s new Disney Plus Star Wars streaming series, Skeleton Crew, oozes with timeless nostslgia and innocence. By creating a show centered on the unexpected adventures of a group of children, Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have provided an opportunity for fans to reconnect with the he franchise through an unjaded perspective and seem to have done just that. However, the wholesome and unfamiliar setting along with some mysterious goings on in the first two episodes have caused some confusion about where in the Star Wars timeline Skeleton Crew takes place.

    As discovered over the first two installments, to the rest of the galaxy, the homeworld of Wim, Fern, KB and Neel is a bit of a myth. Referred to by a Theelin “entertainer” as the “lost planet of eternal treasure, At Attin is a bit of a place out of time that rests behind a barrier to the rest of the galaxy. While that’s certainly a core mystery of Skeleton Crew that will continue to unfold, the series’ place on the timeline is not.

    As seen on Disney Plus, the events of Skeleton Crew take place after Ahsoka and before Star Wars Resistance, setting it firmly in the New Republic era. Though the series hasn’t provided enough clues to pin down an exact spot on the timeline, with Ahsoka taking place in 11 ABY, Skeleton Crew must take place either concurrently with that or shortly thereafter as the New Republic is still functional.

    Of course, Lucasfilm made some effort to circumvent at least some of the confusion ahead of the series by confirming the New Republic era setting; however, the D+ timeline does provide a little more information and, perhaps, a clue that could help solve the show’s ongoing mystery. By setting Skeleton Crew chronologically AFTER Ahsoka, it can be assumed that the audience is already familiar with the Star Wars franchise’s extragalactic expansion which played a major role in Ahsoka. Perhaps the reason At Attin seems frozen in time is that it has been hidden in the same way Peridea was revealed to be? Perhaps not! With 6 episodes to go, it’ll likely be some time before audiences learn the true nature of the Skeleton Crew‘s central mystery.

  • Review: ‘Skeleton Crew’ Episodes 1 & 2

    Review: ‘Skeleton Crew’ Episodes 1 & 2

    First announced at Star Wars Celebration 2022, Lucasfilm’s Star Wars streaming series, Skeleton Crew, has finally arrived on Disney Plus. After being delayed by over a year, the eight-episode series now finds itself in the unenviable position of following one of the studio’s most harshly treated projects in The Acolyte. While Skeleton Crew is the tonal antithesis of The Acolyte, a growing subset of Star Wars fans have begun to approach every new project with an accumulated skepticism and, in many cases, an increasingly choral disregard for the Dave Filoni era of storytelling in the galaxy far, far away. Skeleton Crew may well provide Lucasfilm’s best effort to combat and contravene the online vitriol that has become endemic to Star Wars fandom. And it does so with kids!

    I’ll break protocol for a moment to explain that this review won’t conclude with some judgment of whether Skeleton Crew is “good” or “bad” nor make any accurate predictions about how fans will feel about it. That’s because I cannot know if it is “good” or “bad” or even begin to evaluate how I feel about it. Members of the media were given a screening package that included the first three episodes of an eight-episode series. By the time the third episode ends, it is clear that the show has the potential to continue in an entertaining direction; however, anyone pretending to review a full season after only seeing 38% of a series is at best disingenuous and at worst, deliberately causing chaos and harm.

    Following an opening scene steeped in Star Wars tradition, Episode 1 of Skeleton Crew presents as a slice-of-life project before quickly morphing into a rollicking and spirited adventure into some peripheral corners of the Star Wars universe that have always existed but have never been explored in live-action. Pirates have played a major role in canonical animation and in Legends continuity and after first popping up in The Mandalorian where the Pirate King Gorian Shard caused some issues, here, there be pirates. From the daring boarding that breaks the silence of space and is Pirates of the Caribbean in space to the boisterous and bawdy Port Borgo full of scurvy swashbucklers, Skeleton Crew is all hands hoay into buccaneering, including some elusive booty that will likely sit as a central mystery throughout the series. That said, calling it a show about pirates wouldn’t be fair.

    (L-R, second from left): Vane (Marti Matulis), Gunter (Jaleel White), Brutus (Frank Tatasciore, performance artist: Stephan Oyoung), Pax (performance artist: Mike Estes), and Chaelt (Dale Soules) in Lucasfilm’s SKELETON CREW, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    Despite boasting Jude Law as a key figure who is kind of mysterious and kind of dangerous and definitely none of the people he says he is, Skeleton Crew is a show about children but probably not specifically for children. Rather, in the mold of Stand By Me, it’s a little coming-of-age adventure that also vibes with, yes, The Goonies but also with a less well-known adventure film like 1985’s Explorers and maybe even a little bit with the ridiculous Ice Pirates. Skeleton Crew treats its core kids a bit in the way Stephen Spielberg always did. They get to behave a little older than they are, live out their fantasies, meet people they’ve only read of in legends and be in danger without actually being endangered. And most importantly, not one of these kids is learning any lessons through two episodes.

    However, putting children at the center of the story allows co-creators Christopher Ford and Jon Watts to create within their comfort zones As a result, at a time when the Star Wars franchise is in need of renewed hope and a return to the innocence that the first audiences to see Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back took with them into the theater, along comes a Star Wars project full of kids who while vulnerable, are full of true wonder.Skeleton Crew‘s core four are the archetypal rebel (Fern), explorer (Wim), innocent (Neel) and caregiver (KB) who may well provide exactly what audiences need to reconnect with the magic of the Star Wars universe. Despite having kids at its core, Skeleton Crew looks to be intended to do some expansive world-building which seems likely to be why Filoni gave it the green light and set it in the New Republic era. I won’t even tease spoilers here but there are enough hints in the first two episodes to catch on to the fact that At Attin, the homeworld of the leads, is quite unlike any planet we’ve ever seen in the franchise.

    (L-R): SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost), Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), and Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) in Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: SKELETON CREW, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Matt Kennedy. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    Following a bit of a slow, exposition-heavy start, Skeleton Crew does weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen and it looks like it’s going to be one hell of a ride through space as the crew tries to find their way back home. Despite its small sample size, accentuated by Mick Giacchino‘s quirky, uncanny and neo-nostalgic themes, Skeleton Crew checks the boxes of an adventure worth taking. Indeed in the best ways, it feels quite like a successful adaptation of a Disney theme park attraction into a live-action project, except there’s no Disney theme park attraction being adapted. Perhaps it’s best to take it for exactly what it is: a return to innocence that’s been missing from one of the world’s premiere franchises for far too long.

    Episodes 1 and 2 of Skeleton Crew are now streaming on Disney Plus.

  • REVIEW: ‘Creature Commandos’

    REVIEW: ‘Creature Commandos’

    While it certainly would not be fair to pigeonhole James Gunn, it is reasonable to say the DC Studios’ co-CEO finds comfort in a certain creative wheelhouse. Though the projects that make up his filmography span multiple genres, Gunn has unabashedly declared his love for superheroes and defended the prolific rise of their place in Hollywood’s pecking order against those who disdainfully regard them as unimaginative pop culture sedatives. From Scooby-Doo, to Guardians of the Galaxy to The Suicide Squad, Gunn has demonstrated an adroit understanding of how to curate the interpersonal dynamics of a team of characters in a way that allows for each member to be integral to the team while also having an individual arc.

    Gunn was indubitably firmly within his creative wheelhouse while crafting the DC Studios’ animated streaming series Creature Commandos and the result is a frenzied and brilliant opening act for the all-new DC Universe.

    Before encumbering himself with the unbearable weight of the responsibility of introducing the next iteration of Superman to the world, Gunn chose to dive down a very particular and peculiar rabbit hole with Creature Commandos. Intended as an opportunity “for people to just take a little nibble [of the all-new DCU] and see what it tastes like,” the seven-episode animated series assuredly accomplishes its goal. To introduce a brand new interconnected universe through the lens of monstrous outcasts is quite a bold statement on Gunn‘s part made even more outlandish by delivering it via animation. However, Creature Commandos, scaffolded by Gunn’s credibility in the superhero genre, arouses such powerful feelings of pity and sympathy for the members of Task Force M that despite teasing and referencing the inceptive DCU, fans will find themselves so entirely entranced by its cast of rejects that they’ll almost certainly be asking for more adventures…for the characters that survive.

    Set two years after the events of The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos leads off DC Studios’ lineup with gratuitous sanguination and fornication while delivering soul-crushing suffering to each member of the team. Led by sublime voice performances by Frank Grillo, Indira Varma, Zoe Chao and Alan Tudyk, the series lands firmly in the Goldilocks zone between obscene and acceptable, quite honestly giving everyone watching it what they want and everyone starring in it what they deserve…almost. There are no innocents, spare one, and somehow Gunn makes these monsters more human than human.

    Screenshot

    Rather than bludgeon the audience with obscenely overt cameos, Easter eggs and other references, Gunn tacitly adopted an almost Tolkien-esque approach to world-building his burgeoning DCU in Creature Commandos. Through the use of Lost-like flashbacks, each commando gets his or her own story, revealing a rich and robust world already fully developed and lived in. Outside of the members of Task Force M, plenty of other characters, such as Pokolistan’s Alexi, might make for interesting main characters in their own stories. References to larger lore are subtly sprinkled into the story, allowing the audience to understand that Batman has been active for at least 15 years, there are some strange goings on in Themyscira and there are plenty of other key locations and characters that could be explored down the road, though those stories could be set in the past, present or future of the DCU.

    While concerns that the series would ultimately be derivative of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy or The Suicide Squad are understandable and not entirely unfounded, Creature Commandos stands firmly apart from his other works. To boot, Creature Commandos may be Gunn‘s most mature and evolved creation to date; it’s comedic and tragic and bolder than anything Gunn has done. While fans may be holding out hope for the return of Harley Quinn, they may find that Gunn, who has continued to strengthen the female leads in his projects, has crafted his most complete and compelling female yet in The Bride. In fact, the character may be a metaphor for the tumultuous road Gunn‘s career has traveled. If Gunn, as the overseer of the all-new DCU, can continue to curate stories that convey the same passion, maturity and appreciation for the source material as Creature Commandos, the auspicious start that it provides for the DCU will certainly grow into something deserving of the incredible and lasting influence of DC Comics.

    About Creature Commandos

    Creature Commandos, produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails… they’re your last, worst option.

    The seven-episode series stars Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe, Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. 

    Creature Commandos is written and executive-produced by James Gunn. Based on DC characters and produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation; additional executive producers include Peter Safran, Dean Lorey, and Sam Register; Rick Morales serves as a supervising producer.

    The first two episodes of Creature Commandos will debut Max on December 5th with new episodes streaming every Thursday through January 9th.

  • Jude Law Teases a “Glorious Ending” to ‘Skeleton Crew’

    Jude Law Teases a “Glorious Ending” to ‘Skeleton Crew’

    Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars streaming series, Skeleton Crew, sets out to do something that’s rarely been done in nearly 50 years of storytelling set in a galaxy far, far away: chronicle an adventure from the perspective of a child. Outside of the exploration of Anakin Skywalker’s youth in Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace, live-action Star Wars projects have always been about adults. Given that The Creator has said that he developed Star Wars FOR kids, it’s especially strange that more projects haven’t featured them.

    It was supposed to be a kid’s movie for 12-year-olds that were going through puberty, who don’t know what they’re doing, and are asking all the big questions: “What should I be worried about? What’s important in life?” And Star Wars has all those things in there. They’re buried in there but you definitely get it, especially if you’re young.

    -George Lucas

    According to star Jude Law, part of the charm of the eight-episode series is seeing the four young leads exploring that “Star Wars environment.” Skeleton Crew co-creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have built out a corner of the Star Wars galaxy that star Law calls “a fun place to be” as well as “thrilling and very, very unique” while also honoring the projects that came before. And it sounds as though before the series finale hits, part of the homage to George Lucas‘ original work is a heavy dose of surprising revelations.

    In an interview with Collider, Law teased that his character, Jod Na Nawood, is a bit of a mystery and one that Watts and Ford were in no hurry to unravel. In fact, according to Law, the true nature of his character isn’t revealed until the penultimate episode, which he calls his favorite.

    “I’ve only seen them through once, so that’s quite a hard question for me,” said Law when asked by Collider which episode he enjoyed the most. “I think it’s [Episode] 7 because so much comes to a head, and you find out an awful lot very quickly about my character.”

    “It’s not that it’s all about me, but, by doing that, it pushes the relationship with the kids to a whole new level,” said Law of impact the reveal of his character’s true identity will have.

    Star Wars: Skeleton Crew follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home—and meeting unlikely allies and enemies—will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.

    -Official Synopsis for Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

    Set during the same New Republic time period as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, it’s still unclear just how big of an impact Skeleton Crew will have on the overarching narrative those projects share. Whether the events of the project will lead to a second season or will have a major impact on Dave Filoni‘s New Republic era film isn’t clear at this point; however, Law is confident that fans will like what they see when the series debuts on December 2nd.

    “They’ll want more. That’s what they’ll say,” said Law of his expectations of how fans will receive the series. “They’ll say, ‘When can I get more of this?’ I think they’ll be confounded, and kind of, I hope, a little bit upset. But it’s also obviously got a kind of Star Wars glorious ending to it, too. But there are layers. A lot happens and a lot is revealed.”

    Sources: Collider, THR

  • Moon Knight Rumored Set to Return for a Trio of Upcoming Marvel Studios Projects

    Moon Knight Rumored Set to Return for a Trio of Upcoming Marvel Studios Projects

    From the time the first trailer for Marvel Studios Moon Knight debuted to a whooping 75 million views in its first 24 hours online, it was clear that the ambitious Oscar Isaac-les streaming series was going to make a major splash. Indeed, when its six-episode run was finished, it was one of the studio’s most-watched series with its finale being its most-watched episode, bucking a trend most TV series battle. However, over two years later, none of Isacc’s characters have made their way back into a Marvel Studios project. Despite obvious interest from the creative team, Isaac and the fans, a second season doesn’t seem to be in the cards just yet.

    Of course, the lack of movement on Season 2 of Moon Knight doesn’t mean Isaac won’t suit back up. Director Destin Daniel Cretton‘s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was rumored to feature the character, along with Hulk, She-Hulk and Shang-Chi as members of a team of New Avengers that set out to take on the titular villain; however, with Marvel going back to the drawing board for Avengers 5, Moon Knight’s future remains uncertain…or does it?

    moon knight costume

    According to a new tidbit shared by frequent social media rumor monger My Time To Shine Hello, Marvel Studios may have outlined Moon Knight’s next steps in the Multiverse Saga. Should the information prove accurate, Isaac will find himself a busy man over the next few years as the rumor has him potentially suiting back up for both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Additionally, MTTSH reports that Moon Knight is also expected to be a part of the team of heroes who assemble to tackle supernatural threats in Midnight Sons, a film which has not yet been confirmed to be in development by the studio but around which quite a bit of talk has buzz has been generated over the last year.

    Both Avengers films are expected to sport massive character rosters and Isaac is among the biggest stars in Marvel Studios’ impressive stable, so one or both of the films does feel like a safe place to see the return of not only Moon Knight but other Multiverse Saga heroes who have been hiatus such as She-Hulk and Shang-Chi. In the case of Midnight Sons, Loonie Moonie’s inclusion on the team is all but a sure thing…if the project ever makes its way to theaters.

  • The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before ‘Creature Commandos’

    The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before ‘Creature Commandos’

    The all-new DCU kicks off on December 5th when DC Studios’ animated streaming series, Creature Commandos, debuts on Max with a two-episode premiere. Created by DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn, the series tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. The seven-episode series stars Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe,  Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. 

    Even though it’s the first project of the new DCU, recent comments by Gunn have made it clear that a pair of projects he created and directed prior to the birth of DC Studios are also canon to the new continuity…at least kind of.

    “I think of [The] Suicide Squad and Peacemaker as pretty unreliable memories of what happened in the DCU.”

    “Well, it’s whatever we mention in anything,” said Gunn while explaining what events from his DCEU projects should be considered canon to the DCU. “Listen, Peacemaker is pretty easy. Peacemaker season 1 is basically canon outside of the appearance of the Justice League at the end, which you’ll see something about that in Peacemaker season 2. [The] Suicide Squad is probably a little bit looser. We know that Rick Flag Sr. is angry because his son was killed by Peacemaker, so we know that situation happened in the past, we have something to refer to to think of what it might be like that that happened, but that exists as canon because it was mentioned in Creature Commandos, not necessarily because it existed in [The] Suicide Squad.”

    Though it may be a bit confusing, certainly nobody has thought about it more than Gunn and we’re willing to roll with the looseness for now. To that end, it sounds as though there’s a little homework to do before jumping into Creature Commandos. Even though the two-episode premiere is just a week away, you still have time to prepare by checking out the projects included in THE ULTIMATE LIST OF WHAT TO WATCH BEFORE CREATURE COMMANDOS!

    Tier One

    Tier One projects are the bare minimum, non-negotiable prep you’ll need to do to fully enjoy the latest, greatest project you’re going to watch. In this case, there are none of those.

    Tier Two

    The Suicide Squad (2021)

    Gunn’s first project for Warner Bros. Discovery, The Suicide Squad was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO in 2021 while theaters were still bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s unfortunate that more people didn’t see it in theaters, or at all, because it’s a damn good movie despite working with a roster of characters most people hadn’t heard of before the film came out and probably still don’t know.

    As Gunn pointed out, Frank Grillo‘s Rick Flag Sr. has a massive chip on his shoulder as a result of the events in this film. There are also plenty of other references to The Suicide Squad in Creature Commandos and at least one other member of the squad may make a surprise appearance at some point. However, there’s enough exposition in Creature Commandos to help catch up the uninitiated which means The Suicide Squad is not a must watch…just a should watch.

    Peacemaker, Season 1 (2022)

    Spinning out of the events of The Suicide Squad, Season 1 of Peacemaker picks up right where the film left off. Recovering from injuries that should have killed him, John Cena‘s Christopher Smith finds himself working against his will for Amanda Waller’s A.R.G.U.S.. While the series will be (mostly) canon to the DCU, it’s hardly required viewing to enjoy and understand Creature Commandos. Outside of a brief appearance by series regular John Economos, voiced by Steve Agee, and a reference or two to the events of Season 1, Peacemaker is really just going to help you understand Amanda Waller a bit more and why A.R.G.U.S. is in the position it’s in.

    Source: Collider

  • James Gunn Addresses DC Studios’ Delayed ‘The Brave and the Bold’

    James Gunn Addresses DC Studios’ Delayed ‘The Brave and the Bold’

    Leading off an ambitious effort to create an ongoing shared cinematic universe with an animated series about a group of monsters that are certainly not anyone’s favorite DC Comics characters proves that DC Studios will not be fully dependent on DC’s Trinity. However, as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman go, so too, ultimately, will the DCU. And to that end, DC Studio’s co-CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran, also made sure to include projects featuring Superman and Batman and one that at the very least is adjacent to Wonder Woman when they revealed 10 of the projects that will be part of the first wave of DC Studio’s new era of storytelling.

    Nearly two years after rolling out a peek at Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, things seem to be moving along smoothly. Creature Commandos will debut on December 5th, Superman will hit theaters next summer and both Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and the HBO streaming series Lanterns are set to kick off production in early 2025. However, despite reportedly having landed a director in Andy Muschetti, development on the studio’s Batman and Robin vehicle, The Brave and the Bold, remains static. Recently, Gunn has made it clear that the 10 projects he and Safran revealed were not necessarily the first 10 that fans would see, explaining that the slate is far more fluid and flexible and that projects that were not announced are far closer to beginning production than some of those that were. In an interview with Collider, Gunn took the time to give deeper insight into the studio’s process behind the scenes, explaining why cameras won’t be rolling on The Brave and the Bold any time soon.

    “There’s no set timeline for anything,” said Gunn when asked when The Brave and the Bold might hit theaters. “The one thing that I’ve tried to make clear to people from the beginning, and the way that I hope we’re different, is that everything in DC is gonna be based on the writers. Until we have a screenplay that I’m totally happy with, that movie is not going to get made, no matter what it is.” One doesn’t have to be an expert at reading between the lines to understand why Bruce and Damian Wayne swinging into theaters together in 2025.

    Gunn went on to explain that a pair of projects, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Lanterns, were able to move ahead in the queue because their scripts, written by Ana Nogueira and the team of Tom King, Damon Lindelof and Chris Mundy, respectively, came together quickly and wowed him. “We have been really fortunate with some screenplays,” Gunn explained. “Supergirl came in, and just, wow, Ana did such an amazing job. The Lanterns pilot came in, and now the whole Lantern series came in, and it’s like, ‘Wow, that’s wonderful, wonderful work.’”

    While The Brave and the Bold was never given a release date, its inclusion in the initial slate reveal did give the impression that it would be making its way into theaters relatively quickly. As projects from the initial slate and others like Luca Guadagnino‘s Sgt. Rock, which DC Studios has not officially announced, start to move toward casting and production, the perception is that The Brave and the Bold might be in trouble; however, without naming any specific projects, Gunn reiterated that the reason some move ahead and other don’t is simply because the scripts aren’t where he believes they need to be to make a good film. “There are a couple of other things that people don’t know about. There are a couple of movies and TV shows that are green-lit or near-green-lit,” teased Gunn. “But it’s going to be based, always, on the story because, at the end of the day, if we’re happy with the story that we’re telling, that’s what matters most. And once Brave and the Bold gets to that point, then we’ll make the movie. That’s really all it is.“

    Source: Collider

  • DC Studios Streaming Project Gets Frustrating Update

    DC Studios Streaming Project Gets Frustrating Update

    Over the past several weeks, DC Studios co-chair James Gunn has made it clear that the relatively newly formed production company has one very important guiding principle: no DCU project is given the green light until a finished script has been turned in. As a result, some projects that were not part of the studio’s original list of upcoming projects have moved ahead of those that were. For example, Luca Guadagnino‘s Sgt. Rock film seems to have far more momentum at the moment than the studio’s first Batman and Robin story, The Brave and the Bold.

    Whether it’s a lesson learned from his time at Marvel Studios, one he’s learned since announcing a slate of 10 DCU projects that has already seen it’s order rearranged or a combination of the two, it’s something that’s clearly important to Gunn and will ultimately cause less consternation and confusion among fans.

    Perhaps the best example of how quickly even the best laid plans can change is the Viola Davis-led streaming series, Waller. Originally announced as the project set to follow Creature Commandos and planned to take place between Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker, progress on Waller was slowed significantly in 2023 by a pair of protracted work stoppages in Hollywood. As a result, Season 2 of Peacemaker, which recently completed principal photography, jumped up in line while work continued on Waller.

    Like Peacemaker, the idea of Waller, a spinoff of Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad, predates the existence of the all-new DCU. In development since 2022, Waller is being written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural, Doom Patrol). Gunn has said the series “won’t be as much a comedy as Peacemaker” while adding that it is “really fantastic and HBO loves it.”

    While the series obviously hasn’t been completely cast with no firm production start innsight, a few key characters will make their returns beside Davis’ Amanda Waller. One of those will be Steve Agee‘s A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos, who played a key role in Season 1 of Peacemaker and will make an appearance in Creature Commandos. While promoting the latter in an interview with Screen Rant, Agee updated the progress on Waller.

    “I think they’re still doing scripts, so there’s no set time yet, and James won’t start something until he’s absolutely happy with the scripts and they’re they’re ready to go,” explained Agee. “So once they’re ready, I’m sure he’ll announce a start time – as an actor who loves to work, it can’t happen soon enough, though, for me!“

    And so a project once on track for a 2025 release date is currently undated and, as of now, still being written. While there’s no doubt that Waller will eventually make its way to HBO, it stands as a great example of why, moving forward, Gunn has decided to keep projects under wraps, at least officially, until they’re ready to roll.

    Source: Screen Rant

  • Lucasfilm’s ‘Skeleton Crew’ Gets New Premiere Date

    Lucasfilm’s ‘Skeleton Crew’ Gets New Premiere Date

    Disney has been working hard to promote Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars streaming series, Skeleton Crew. Starring Jude Law, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon and Nick Frost, the new series has been compared to classic Amblin Entertainment films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Goonies and footage from the show certainly gives off a much different vibe than any other Star Wars project to date.

    Originally intended to debut on Disney Plus in 2023, Skeleton Crew was eventually slated for a 2024 holiday release with a two-episode premiere scheduled for December 3rd. Now, just a week away from its debut, the series has gotten a new release date.

    According to an official press release from Disney, the first two episodes of Skeleton Crew will now debut on Disney Plus at 6:00 PM PST/9:00 PM EST on Monday, December 2nd.

    Star Wars: Skeleton Crew follows the journey of four kids who make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Finding their way home—and meeting unlikely allies and enemies—will be a greater adventure than they ever imagined.

    -Official Synopsis for Skeleton Crew

    Co-created by MCU Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts and and Spider-Man: Homecoming writer Christopher Ford, the new eight-episode series is set in the same New Republic era as Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian. According to Law, Skeleton Crew will leverage the audience’s familiarity with that time period. “There are great references to old films and recent episodes and series,” said Law, adding “there’s a lot of originality and I hope that will bring the feeling of fun to those who watch it.”

    OPart of that originality is seeing the galaxy far, far away through the eyes of children, which Law said helps Skeleton Crew stand apart. “It is a fun place to be, the universe of Star Wars,” said Law. “Seeing children in that environment in a Star Wars environment is thrilling and very, very unique.”

    Following the two-episode debut on Monday, December 2nd, the remaining six episodes will premiere on Tuesdays with the finale set for January 14, 2025.