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  • Delroy Lindo in Talks to Join Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’

    Delroy Lindo in Talks to Join Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’

    Fans are eager to see the live-action return and debut of Eric Brooks in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Mahershala Ali set to star as the titular vampire hunter. Not much is known about the project but Blade already seems to be making moves on and off-screen in the MCU. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that actor Delroy Lindo is in final negotiations to join the cast of Blade. It’s currently unknown just who he would play as that is still under wraps along with plot details. The project is currently being reported to be starting production late into the summer of 2022. Lindo is best known for his work in films like Da 5 Bloods, Gone in 60 Seconds, Malcolm X, and most recently The Harder They Fall.

    As it’s currently unknown who he would be playing, Lindo would fit pretty well as Jamal Afari. In the comics, he was Blades’ mentor who found and raised Eric since he was nine years old after he was saved from vampires. Blade would learn everything he knows in hunting vampires from the man, who was once one of the greatest hunters. He even famously faced the toughest of vampires, Dracula. The character recently made his entrance into the MCU via the post-credit scene in Eternals. While you don’t see the man himself, we hear him speak to Dane Whitman just as he’s about to pick up the Ebony Blade, asking if he was sure he was ready for that. It’ll be interesting to see if Dane pops up in Blade as well, but Lindo is quite the addition to this project.

    Source: THR

  • Hall of Murphy: Episode 10 – Titans 309 – 313 (w/ Mary Maerz)

    Hall of Murphy: Episode 10 – Titans 309 – 313 (w/ Mary Maerz)

    This week on Hall of Murphy, John and Joe have a special guest as Mary joins for the final discussion surrounding Titans third season and if it finally managed to redeem itself in its final five episodes.

  • Alaqua Cox on Bringing Echo to Life in ‘Hawkeye’

    Alaqua Cox on Bringing Echo to Life in ‘Hawkeye’

    Hawkeye will become the springboard for two important MCU characters moving forward. Not only will we meet Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop but it’ll also introduce the world to the mute assassin Echo. Not just that, the character will also get their series which was officially announced during Disney+ Day. Newcomer Alaqua Cox will bring the character to life and that she wasn’t interested in acting until she saw a casting call for a deaf Native American to tackle the character. With her series on the horizon, the actress shared a bit of her experience on set and preparing for the action sequences:

    Deaf people have really good visual skills. I can easily catch things. During training they were like, ‘Oh, wow, you’re a fast learner.’ I was like, ‘Well, I just watched you.’

    Alaqua Cox

    Speaking of training, Cox‘s right leg is a prosthetic which didn’t restrict her in bringing any of the action sequences or fight choreography to life.

    People with a disability like me can do anything: We can fight, we can flip, we can fall. I’m excited for people to say, ‘Wow, she can do that.

    Alaqua Cox

    She also highlights the support she got for joining the franchise. Marvel Studios has been pushing for more representation in their projects.

    The deaf community is in huge support of this role because they want to see deaf people represented in these deaf roles. Most of the time it’s hearing people that take these roles, but finally authentic representation is here. So I’m excited for that, and so as everybody else.

    Alaqua Cox

    She’s the second deaf actress to join a Marvel Studios project after Lauren Ridloff played Makkari in Eternals, who has become quite a fan-favorite after the film’s release. There’s also the potential of exploring the story of the character in this world, as Hawkeye offers a more grounded storyline within a world with aliens, gods, and magic. She might continue that storyline thread in her series and offer a look into new corners of this franchise.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • RUMOR: ‘The Batman’ Eyeing a Similar Runtime to ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

    RUMOR: ‘The Batman’ Eyeing a Similar Runtime to ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

    It’s been a long road for Batman fans, as the project has hit multiple delays due the ongoing pandemic that’s made it difficult for Hollywood to keep their machine running. The project has seen three delays but seems to finally have found its footing with the current release date of March 4th, 2022. As it is nearing, director Matt Reeves is adding the finishing touches. So, they’ve reached the next step and it looks like the potential runtime may have found its way online.

    The Batman reportedly had a new screen test in which fans were treated to the most recent cut of the film, and while things are definitely susceptible to change, it seems the current runtime will surely excite fans. The reported runtime of the film is currently around two hours and forty-five minutes, making it one of the longest Batman films alongside The Dark Knight Rises. With test screenings anything can change with quite a few more months ahead. The rumored runtime comes from @ViewerAnon.

    https://twitter.com/ViewerAnon/status/1461223963074252803?s=20

    If the film sticks with the nearly three hour runtime, than it would make it longer than The Dark Knight‘s 2 hours and 32 minutes, but closer to The Dark Knight Rises‘ 2 hours and 45 minutes. The film could be very different from previous adaptions of the character, with directed Matt Reeves more interested in tackling the detective side of Batman. The film will see Batman up against Gotham’s criminal underworld as the Riddler tears through the city to uproot and expose its corruption. If this runtime says anything it’s that we’re going to be seeing Batman truly digging deep and actually acting as “The Worlds Greatest Detective”.

    Source: Twitter

  • Patton Oswalt Not Only Voiced But Also Played Pip the Troll on ‘Eternals’ Set

    Patton Oswalt Not Only Voiced But Also Played Pip the Troll on ‘Eternals’ Set

    We all got a nice surprise when Harry Styles made his MCU premiere as Eros in the first post-credit sequence of Eternals. He wasn’t alone, as his character got introduced to the character of Pip the Troll, who was voiced by the always iconic Patton Oswalt. It turns out, he did quite a bit more than that to bring the computer-generated character to life, as he was also on set to play the character.

    Weta Digital’s Matt Aitken revealed that he was on the sound stage performing the entire act on his knees so they’d have the right height for the character. So, he did the entire motion capture for the character to bring Pip to life for the latest Marvel Studios film. He goes on to share that

    We ended up replacing Patton Oswalt with Pip and the corridor, because we needed to do all that interactive portal light and extend it. But if you’re looking at Eros, then his face will definitely be the face, but everything else is CG in those shots.

    Matt Aitken

    Weta Digital also shared a first look at the visual breakdown of the character that Comic Book’s Adam Barnhardt shared on Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/adambarnhardt/status/1461756972735287308?s=21

    Oswalt joined in the fun and even offered a closer look at him behind-the-scenes in the mo-cap suit.

    It’s great to see his commitment to the role and might hint at him returning to play the character whenever Pip the Troll might make his grand return. James Gunn‘s brother Sean Gunn famously played Rocket Raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy films walking on his knees while Bradley Cooper purely voiced the character. It’s always interesting to get a look behind-the-scenes on these projects, especially how they bring these CGI-heavy characters to life. It certainly sounds like Styles had some fun with Oswalt on his knees while introducing his character.

    Source: Comic Book

  • ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Finally Introduces Radical Edward

    ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Finally Introduces Radical Edward

    Please note, the below article includes spoilers for Cowboy Bebop.

    When it comes to adapting popular titles, changes are always expected. This is because it’s important storytellers are allowed to craft something unique for fans. Merely adapting a title scene-for-scene makes it difficult for the creatives involved to leave their mark. When it comes to adapting popular animes, though, Hollywood hasn’t exactly had the best track record. Cowboy Bebop, unfortunately, falls into the latter group.

    Ever since it was revealed Netflix would be adapting Cowboy Bebop in live-action, fans have been eagerly awaiting news regarding the casting of a certain fan-favorite. While cast members for Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), Spike Spiegel (John Cho) and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) were announced, there was radio silence regarding Edward’s involvement. It was a strange move, especially given how popular of a character Radical Edward is and how important she becomes to the rag-tag group of heroes. However, with the Netflix series telling its own take on the beloved anime, fans were hopeful Edward would appear in some capacity.

    And she does… just not in the capacity fans were probably hoping.

    The first season of Cowboy Bebop consists of 10-episodes. While it takes pointers from the anime, often incorporating bits from some of its more popular episodes, none of the episodes truly follow the anime exactly. On one hand, it’s a smart move because it allows for creative freedom. On the other hand, though, too much creative freedom when adapting a popular title could result in a tale that barely resembles its source.

    Throughout the first season, Edward is missing. She’s mentioned for a brief moment in the sixth episode. It happens when Jet and Spike discuss the hacker Radical Edward, but that’s it. Until the final episode, that is. In the final minutes of “Supernova Symphony,” Edward finally makes her grand entrance alongside Ein, who the group abandoned in an earlier episode.

    Her entrance is not explained, nor is it explained how she came upon Ein. However, it’s clear she knows Spike as Edward calls him by his first name. He’s passed out on the ground after getting drunk at a nearby bar. Earlier in the episode, we saw the group go their separate ways as Spike’s past finally becomes known to Jet. It’s a surprising ending, as in the anime, the group doesn’t split until the final episodes. Spike, in true Spike fashion, seems to be seeking an escape through alcohol. Unfortunately for him, though, Edward is not one to give up.

    When he initially tries to ignore her, Edward explains she’s come to him because she has a bounty for him. As the cameras pan out, we see Edward trying to wake a drunken Spike from his slumber much to his dismay.

    For a character as popular as Edward, and one Netflix seems to acknowledge is popular among fans, it makes little sense as to why she gets all of 4 minutes of screen-time in Season 1. Furthermore, her entrance just as the team falls apart after enduring some of their toughest missions makes little sense. Edward may be a bit loud and a bit strange at times, but she’s as core to the group as Ein. More importantly, she helps the team on more than one occasion. Her near erasure from Season 1 makes little sense.

    Hopefully, when Season 2 happens, Edward receives a larger role, because a Cowboy Bebop show without Edward just feels wrong.

    Cowboy Bebop is now streaming on Netflix.

  • New Details on HBO Max’s ‘Constantine’ Series

    New Details on HBO Max’s ‘Constantine’ Series

    Over a year ago it was announced that JJ Abrams and his production company, Bad Robot, had closed a deal with Warner Bros to develop series and films based on the Justice League Dark characters from DC Comics. The projects have begun to pick up talent move along at a moderate pace but it seems things could be kicking much sooner than we thought. Since the announcement projects like Zatanna, Madame X, a Justice League Dark series, and now Constantine will make his return to the small screen.

    RPKNews recently shared some information on the ongoing development of the series and that casting is currently searching for its lead. They’ve revealed the series is also currently titled ‘Justice League Dark: Constantine’ and that they are currently searching for a Black, British man in the 25-29-year-old range to portray John Constantine in this upcoming series. Production on the project is currently set to begin in quarter 2 of 2022.

    HBO Max and Bad Robot are looking to give Constantine a new angle in this series from what previous adaptions had. Both the film starring Keanu Reeves and the series starring Matt Ryan heavily focused on the religious aspect of the character. This time around they’re looking to explore the horror aspect of the character’s comic book roots and really separate this adaption from the past.

    Justice League Dark: Constantine will be written by Guy Bolton and produced by Bad Robot. No further details on the project have been revealed but we can hopefully expect some casting very soon.

    SOURCE: YouTube

  • First Look at ‘Batwoman’s New Take on Poison Ivy

    First Look at ‘Batwoman’s New Take on Poison Ivy

    Batwoman has been exploring new avenues of the Batman mythology by taking classic villains and adding their own spin. There’s an ongoing theme of some of Batman’s trophies from his rogue’s gallery that end up transforming unsuspecting people into new versions of their character. After Killer Croc, the same has happened to Nicole Kang‘s Dr. Mary Hamilton. After a strange thorn pricked her, she’s been turning into a new version of Poison Ivy on the show.

    Executive producer Caroline Dries has shared the following remark on their new take on these classic villains:

    The fun part of making each villain’s powers transferable is that we get to do our own spin on the character — this one through the lens of what Mary would create: something heightened, playful, fashion-forward, and sexy. It was so exciting to work alongside Nicole as we picked hair color, eye color and, of course, the clothing itself. But it wasn’t until Nicole showed up on set and absolutely killed her performance that the character of Poison Ivy Mary was complete

    Caroline Dries

    It’s certainly a different take, but it seems a bit convenient that every single villain has the ability to pass on their abilities in some way or another. Still, it does unshackle the creative team from having to strictly follow the Batman mythos and add a unique spin, especially with a character that has been part of the show for some time. Instead of having to introduce the character, give them their own arc, they can add it to an existing one. We’ll see if they continue this trend moving forward.

    Source: Twitter, Deadline

  • EXCLUSIVE: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Music Helped Shape the Characters of Encanto

    EXCLUSIVE: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Music Helped Shape the Characters of Encanto

    The upcoming coming-of-age fantasy story about a girl without powers living among a superpowered family will introduce us to the many facets of Colombian culture in Encanto. Directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush return to bring us a different kind of story with the help of songs written by Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda. He’s had a hand in various 2021 projects such as In the Heights, Vivo, and the upcoming release of Tick, Tick… Boom! So, it’s been a big year for him. Now that he is also lending his musical talents to the latest animated Disney film, it opens up the question of how much input he also had in bringing these characters to life beyond just their musical accompaniment.

    Luckily, our own Hunter Radesi had the chance to sit down with the directors of the film and discuss exactly that. When asked how much input Miranda had into bringing these characters to life, director Jared Bush offered some interesting insights into their approach to the music and even how they integrated the many sides of Columbian genres.

    He’s super super collaborative. That is one of the really great things about working with him. […] We would have these great deep character conversations. We knew with all these different characters that we wanted to get to know all of them, that we wanted to see different facets of them. But also that we wanted the music to separate and to give them an identity. And that music, even within the genres of Columbia, we wanted that to makes sense with the character that would be singing it.

    Jared Bush

    It’s really interesting how they try to use the different genres of music that exist in Columbia to make the characters stand out. He does also offer an example with the character of Luisa Madrigal’s song “Surface Pressure” which tried to explore her backstory. He highlights how writing the story is what grounded it was some real-life inspirations that were brought to life through music. It shows how many aspects make a film truly come to life.

    Encanto release on Nov. 24th. It is directed by Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith. The film boosts an impressive cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, Wilmer Valderrama, Diane Guerrero, Rhenzy Feliz, Carolina Gaitán and John Leguizamo.

  • Netflix Casts Newcomer Eden Perkins as ‘Cowboy Bebop’s Radical Ed

    Netflix Casts Newcomer Eden Perkins as ‘Cowboy Bebop’s Radical Ed

    When the official cast has been announced for Netflix’s take on Cowboy Bebop, everyone wondered where was the popular character of Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivurski IV or better known as Radical Ed. Well, it turns out they were purposely keeping it a secret to unveil it after people may have binged the full season. Now, they took to Twitter to announce that newcomer Eden Perkins has been cast as Radical Ed in the series with a brief teaser below.

    They’ll join the new Cowboy Bebop: Unlocked after-show heading to YouTube on November 20th as a follow-up, where they’ll discuss the creation of the show. It’s still a bit of a strange timing to not even give the show a day or two, but Netflix seems to share these kinds of reveals quite early due to the expectation of people binging the show after its initial release. Still, it’s great to get the official confirmation on who is tackling this iconic role in the live-action take on the popular anime series.

    Source: Twitter