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  • What to Expect From ‘Dune: Part Two’

    What to Expect From ‘Dune: Part Two’

    Dune was only a prelude to a grander and much more complex story in the world created by Frank Herbert. As the film only adapted approximately two-thirds of the first book, many fans were hoping for a sequel to be confirmed sooner rather than later. Especially because of many unfinished plot lines left by director Denis Villeneuve and Chani’s words at the end of the film – “This is only the beginning.” With the second part of Dune officially announced, let’s look ahead to three things we can expect in the sequel.

    New Faces

    Dune: Part Two will introduce several new characters who will play significant roles in the story. Without a doubt, the biggest addition will be Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen – the brother of Beast Rabann and nephew of Baron Harkonnen. Feyd is a young man, just a year older than Paul, who is being prepared to be the Baron’s successor and who is also part of the genetic plan mentioned by Gaius Helen Mohiam. The filmmakers will have an opportunity to highlight the parallels between Feyd and Paul, who grew up in very different circumstances and have quite a few things in common. 

    Another character will be, of course, be Emperor Shadam IV who was mentioned a couple of times in Dune: Part One. The sequence on Selusa Secundus itself gave us a bit of a taste of what kind of character the Emperor might be. He’s not another Palpatine, but a slightly more nuanced character who got caught up in the Bene Gesserit and had a lot of doubts about his actions.

    Speaking of the Emperor, we have to mention his eldest daughter – Princess Irulan being a Bene Gesserit, who is a very important character in Paul’s story. She is a chronicler, and it’s her words that open the story of Dune. The sequel should also introduce Hasimir and Margot Fenring in the film. Hasimir is the Emperor’s best friend who has been sent to Giedi Prime to look into Feyd-Rautha as well as confront Baron’s plans. Out of the other major characters, we’ll also get to see Alia Atreides – Paul’s sister, whom he saw in one of his visions.

    Paul and Chani’s Journey

    In one of his interviews for the Italian magazine Il Venerdì di Repubblica, Villeneuve mentioned that Chani, played by Zendaya, would be the protagonist of the story in Part Two. This statement outraged many people, but there’s a reason why Chani will be so important in the second part. As Paul moves further and further away from humanity and dives deeper and deeper into his (anti)messianic figure for the Fremen, Chani will be the person who will be his anchor in the present. Through her, Paul will stay in touch with humanity and Chani will act as a beacon of light.

    The first part made us step into the shoes of Paul Atreides, and together we began to discover Arrakis and his inner nature. However, Paul’s journey is not a typical Cambellian pattern of the protagonist’s journey. Herbert broke out of that pattern, and Paul is a certain deconstruction of that trope. In the first film, we saw Paul’s potential future, leading to a bloody holy war in his name. Paul himself will want to escape this, but the further into the woods he gets, the more he solidifies that he has fallen into a messiah trap where fanatics have blindly followed his words. It was already evident in Part One how the Fremen had ingrained the fable of Lisan al-Gaib into their culture, which Paul incidentally used to survive. What will be important in this context is the perspective of those around Paul, who will face a persona that is nothing like his father.

    Fremen’s society

    The sight of a Fremen riding a sandworm in the final scene in Dune certainly sparked the imagination of many viewers as to what might await us next. We’ve only been given a glimpse of Fremen culture, and the second part will only expand that corner of the world. Together with Paul, we will delve into the huge Fremen sietches which can accommodate thousands of people. We will learn about their beliefs and customs, and the second film should open with an extremely psychedelic scene involving the water of life. We should also be introduced to the Fremen’s ecological plan to terraform Arrakis into a green paradise, which is an extremely important theme throughout the series. Villeneuve has shown that he can emphasize the monumentalism and scale of the world, and the second part has much more to offer.

    Dune: Part One is currently in theaters.

  • Marion Dayre Reveals ‘Echo’ Writers’ Room

    Marion Dayre Reveals ‘Echo’ Writers’ Room

    In March, it was revealed Marvel Studios was developing an Echo series as a spinoff from Hawkeye. The news was officially confirmed by Marvel Studios and Disney+ on Friday as part of Disney+ Day. While details remain sparse on the series, we have since learned a bit more regarding the behind-the-scenes of Echo.

    We previously reported on social media clues suggesting Bobby Wilson and Rebecca Roanhorse were part of the Echo writers’ room. Marion Dayre yesterday confirmed that she was the Lead Writer on the show, and has now revealed the writers’ room. Native American and Deaf representation in the room matches the intersectionality of both its lead actor Alaqua Cox and title character Maya Lopez. Writers in the group have worked on Netflix’s Daredevil and The Punisher, as well as shows such as Supernatural, This Close, Reservation Dogs and Stranger Things.

    The group features two Deaf writers in Shoshannah Stern, who also starred in Supernatural, and Josh Feldman, who with Stern co-created and wrote the Sundance show This Close. This suggests the Deaf element of Echo’s identity will be explored further beyond Hawkeye. Of the other accounts tagged in Dayre’s post, many of the writers are Native American. Bobby Wilson has worked as a writer on Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs, the first two TV shows with Native American showrunners. Rebecca Roanhorse is a science fiction author and is currently writing an Echo comic series for Marvel in Phoenix Song: Echo. Alongside Kaitlyn Jeffers, Steven Paul Judd and Jason Gavin it will be great to see more about Echo’s Native American background on the show. Ken Kristensen wrote on The Punisher, Dara Resnik has written episodes of Pushing Daisies and Daredevil, and Jessica Mecklenburg has written on Stranger Things. The mix of drama and comedy within this group suggests that Echo will be emotionally impactful and entertaining. 

    It’s exciting that Deaf and Native American voices have helped craft Maya’s story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To have a Deaf, Native American amputee as the lead actor in Alaqua Cox is a particularly innovative and thrilling choice that will hopefully push the industry forward. Marvel Studios must have known they had a star on their hands with the Echo’s LLC being incorporated a month before Hawkeye started filming. With Echo officially announced and scheduled to film in early 2022, we should begin to learn more about the series in the upcoming months perhaps. 

    Sources: Instagram, Instagram

  • REVIEW: ‘Bloody Hel’ by Clay McCormack, Russ Badgett

    REVIEW: ‘Bloody Hel’ by Clay McCormack, Russ Badgett

    Bloody Hel is a book with two of three main elements of a great comic: stellar artwork and a strong ending. Where it appears to be lacking is the writing. There’s a story there, one that can be fantastic if it had the right care and effort. Unfortunately, somewhere along the lines, Bloody Hel becomes unsure of what it wants to be.

    Bloody Hel is a comic that never quite takes flight. It fumbles at takeoff, trying to move between two different stories that eventually intersect. When they come together, Bloody Hel captures the “shattering apocalyptic throwdown” it promises. Epic battles. Stellar artwork. There are plenty of reasons to give Bloody Hel a chance. Especially those who enjoy Norse mythology.

    While not exactly a Thor story, Bloody Hel does a great job handling its presentation of Gods and Ragnarok. The scenes in which characters are forced to make decisions that’ll save them at the cost of hurting others are powerful. In those moments, the characters manage to feel like realized characters. They become more than images on a page.

    The best part of the book, of course, is the artwork. While sticking to two colors – various greens and yellows – the story still manages to pop. The artwork captures the uncertainty and fear promised in the words, while the dialogue is clean, yet loud. Unfortunately, though, the fault lines are evident even with the fantastic artwork.

    That, of course, isn’t to say Bloody Hel isn’t a good read. While it does lose itself midway through, the ending is strong and successfully readies readers for more tales from this world.

  • Taz Skylar Teases Sanji’s Kicks for Netflix ‘One Piece’ Series

    Taz Skylar Teases Sanji’s Kicks for Netflix ‘One Piece’ Series

    Just recently, we finally found out who the actors are that’ll play the live-action versions of the Straw Hats in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of One Piece. The story will explore the East Blue, which means we’ll get introduced to the first five members of the crew. Among them is Taz Skylar, who’ll take on the role of chef extraordinaire, Sanji. While future Zoro, Mackenyu, has quite a bit of experience with sword fighting through his work on Rurouni Kenshin: The Final to bring his character to life, Skylar has quite the challenge ahead of him to bring the signature kick-only style of Sanji to life.

    We’re still waiting for an official start of the production, but To showcase what he’s been working on, the actor took to Instagram to share his training. As Instagram Stories are only limited for a certain amount of time, @OP_Netflix_Fan was nice enough to provide the video of his training. The actor is certainly excited about the role and is sharing it with others through his page.

    We’ve seen others do the same, such as the future Luffy, Iñaki Godoy, sharing his research on Instagram. We saw the excitement for the cast in the announcement video, especially Emily Rudd, who’s a long-time Nami fan, wearing a necklace with her character’s name on it and Jacob Romero Gibson shouting some classic lines. Skylar has actively teased some inspiration, such as British chef Marco Pierre White being one of his inspirations for his take on the character in a previous post. He’s also actively interacting with the fanbase, which is always great to see. Here’s hoping the wait for any future announcement isn’t too far now.

    Source: Instagram, Instagram (White)

  • ‘Venom: Let There be Carnage’ Becomes 2nd Film to Cross $200 Million This Year

    ‘Venom: Let There be Carnage’ Becomes 2nd Film to Cross $200 Million This Year

    As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus, movie theaters are still struggling to bring in audiences. When it comes to comic book movies pre-pandemic, it wasn’t hard to imagine a film surpassing $300 million domestically. Now, though, most are lucky to cross the $100 million mark.

    In 2021, only two films have crossed $200 million domestically. The first is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which achieved the feat in October, a month into its release. The second is Venom: Let There be Carnage, which officially achieved the feat as of today, a little over a month into its release. Shang-Chi, now available on Disney+, looks to end its theatrical run with $224.4 million domestically. While Venom is now at $202.4 million as of its 7th outing.

    It remains to be seen how far Venom: Let There be Carnage will go. As it stands, the film has a fair share of competition in Marvel Studios’ Eternals, which is in its second weekend. That film pulled in another $28 million, helping it cross $100 million domestically as of today. Eternals, of course, should continue to pull in viewers until Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters next month. That film, of course, is more than likely to give Sony a second $200 million+ release this year.

    Venom: Let There be Carnage is still playing in theaters.

    Source: Deadline

  • Den Den Murphy Episode 4 – Chapter 1030

    Den Den Murphy Episode 4 – Chapter 1030

    In this episode, Joe struggles with some tech issues while he and Suki discuss chapter 1030 of One Piece, and theorize what makes Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi so special.

  • The Pulse: Collecting the Biggest News of the Week of November 7th-13th

    The Pulse: Collecting the Biggest News of the Week of November 7th-13th

    ‘Andor’ Prequel Gets a Release Window

    Report: Cassian Andor Disney+ series adds Rogue One writer Tony Gilroy as a writer/director! – Star Wars Thoughts

    Prior to Disney Plus Day, Disney held their fourth quarter investors’ call. While these things aren’t always worth covering, in this case fans got some tidbits! One such tidbit was that Andor, the 12-episode streaming series that will serve as a prequel to Rogue One, has a release window! According to Disney CFO Christine McCarthy, the series will stream sometime between July and September of next year.

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Moves to 2nd Half of 2022

    McCarthy also mentioned that Ms. Marvel, a Marvel Studios streaming series set to introduce Kamala Khan to the MCU, will debut during that same window. Originally set to stream in late-2021, Ms. Marvel will now debut a little closer to Secret Invasion and The Marvels, project with that share cast members and maybe even some plot points with the teen drama series. Like many other Marvel Studios streaming series, we got a new look at the series and a synopsis on Disney Plus Day. We got some cool glimpses, including the clan of bad guys destined to give Kamala a hard time.

    Ms. Marvel introduces viewers to Kamala, a 16-year old Pakistani American from Jersey City.  An aspiring artist, an avid gamer, and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she is a huge fan of the Avengers — and one in particular, Captain Marvel. But Kamala has always struggled to find her place in the world — that is until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. 

    Stallone Returns to Grumble Through More Lines in Vol. 3

    Why does Sylvester Stallone talk so weird? - Quora

    Sylvester Stallone was so excited to return to the role of Stakar Ogord for the next installment of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that he let everyone know in a video from the set of the film. Here’s to hoping he continues to nail his spot-on interpretation of the comic book character that he’s allegedly bringing to the big screen.

    ‘One Piece’ Pieces Together One Cast

    One Piece Live-Action Netflix Series Casts Its Straw Hat Pirates

    The Netflix adaptation of One Piece has been making more and more news over the past several weeks but none bigger than the cast being accidentally leaked by the Latin America Netflix account. Inaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson, Taz Skylar and Mackenyu were revealed to be key players for the series.

    ‘Moon Knight’ Looks Loony…and That’s Good

    As part of Disney Plus Day, Marvel Studios streaming series Moon Knight got a synopsis and a brief teaser. While neither revealed who Ethan Hawke would be playing, the synopsis might just give a little hint.

    Moon Knight is a new globetrotting action-adventure series featuring a complex vigilante who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. The multiple identities who live inside him find themselves thrust into a deadly war of the gods against the backdrop of modern and ancient Egypt.

    Interestingly, the brief teaser seemed to show off not only the traditional costume, but also the newer Mr. Knight version as well. We’ll see how they split time on screen when it debuts next year.

    ‘She-Hulk’, Brought to You by Dan Slott

    Tatiana Maslany, who vehemently denied that she was in She-Hulk, briefly appeared in the first look at Marvel Studios streaming series She-Hulk as…She-Hulk. The series, like Moon Knight, got a completely uninformative new synopsis. And, as the title says, it looks to be HEAVILY inspired by Dan Slott’s run.

    She-Hulk follows Jennifer, a lawyer who specializes in superhuman-oriented legal cases. She-Hulk will welcome a host of Marvel characters to the series, including the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and the Abomination, played by Tim Roth.

    An Animation Renaissance is Underway at Marvel Studios

    In probably the most exciting of all of the Disney Plus Day announcements, fans learned that Marvel Studio has not 1, not 2, but 3 new animated series in the works for the streaming service. X-Men ’97 will reunite the cast of characters of the beloved 90’s X-Men: The Animated Series on a new mission; Marvel Zombies will bring the undead, first seen in What If…?, into their own series; Spider-Man: Freshman Year, will tell a canonical tale about Peter Parker “on his way to becoming Spider-Man.” Additionally, the studio pretended that they hadn’t already told us about the second season of What If…? and gave us an “official” announcement. A lot of the people who currently dish out a lot of money to Marvel Studios projects grew up on animated projects, so it is absolutely fascinating to see them embrace that generation with the X-Men revival, try to capture the hearts of a generation with Freshman Year and eat the hearts of others with Zombies.

    Marvel Studios Pretended They Didn’t Give the Trades Info and “Officially” Revealed Two “New” Series

    In the least surprising announcements of the week, Marvel Studios REVEALED that spinoff series for Agatha Harkness and Echo were headed to Disney Plus. Of course, we’ve all known this for a while now but, to make up for that, we got some cool logos that won’t be the logos we see when the shows actually hit D+. Echo and Agatha: House of Harkness are “coming soon” to Disney Plus. Despite the heavy sarcasm, both shows have the potential to explore fascinating corners of the MCU and introduce some great new characters.

    ‘Prey’, The Next Installment of the Predator Franchise, Will Debut on Hulu

    Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator movie has been retitled Prey and slotted for a 2022 streaming debut on Hulu. The moves were announced as part of Disney Plus Day because, yeah, Disney owns the rights to Predator now! The new film’s premise sounds incredible as it focuses on a Predator going up against a Comanche Nation teen around 300 years ago.

  • ‘What If…?’s Lead Character Designer Joins ‘X-Men ’97’

    ‘What If…?’s Lead Character Designer Joins ‘X-Men ’97’

    Ever since the announcement came that Marvel Studios is reviving the popular X-Men animated series from the 90s. With the new title X-Men ’97, it’ll join a bunch of animated projects announced during Disney+ Day. After their first venture with What If…?, it was clear that they saw a future in this new direction and it seems some from that team are even joining the newer projects.

    What If…?‘s Lead Character Designer Amelia Vidal has shared on Twitter that she’s also carrying over her role in bringing the classic 90’s incarnations of the X-Men to life. It does open the question if she’ll return for an eventual third season of What If…? or she will juggle both projects moving forward. Still, it’s great to see the team continue to work with their talent and let them test out their talents on other projects.

    It’s great to see Marvel Studios venturing out of the MCU and developing projects that won’t be connected directly to the original franchise’s timeline. Of course, there’s always the chance it is part of the ever-expanding multiverse introduced in Loki. We’ll see how the projects develop but, for now, we’re getting a clearer picture of how long these projects may have been in development, such as artist Chase Conley promoting his love for the original series only to confirm his involvement recently.

    Source: Twitter

  • Scott Derrickson Open to Eventual Return to Direct Another Marvel Film

    Scott Derrickson Open to Eventual Return to Direct Another Marvel Film

    Doctor Strange is among Marvel Studios’ best films, not only introducing mainstream audiences to Stephen Strange but also for unlocking the magical side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film would eventually score a sequel with director Scott Derrickson and star Benedict Cumberbatch set to return in their respective roles. Sadly, just a few months after announcing Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness at SDCC, he left the project over “creative differences.”

    Just a few weeks later it was announced that Sam Raimi would be returning to the Marvel Universe to direct the sequel who is, of course, best known for his Spider-Man films as well as the Evil Dead franchise. Scott Derrickson is one of those directors who are very hands-on when it comes to fan interactions, especially on Twitter, and recently entertained a request from a fan to return to the MCU for another film. Of course, he played coy responding with a simple response:

    https://twitter.com/scottderrickson/status/1459586169998512129?s=21

    No one would be opposed to a return for the director, especially after his work on Doctor Strange but for now, it’s all just hypotheticals. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be undergoing “extensive reshoots” soon due to the pandemic affecting its production, but it currently is eyeing a release in May. It’ll be interesting to see if the director might return for an eventual third entry or even to tackle a brand new franchise.

    Source: Twitter

  • Kirsten Dunst Backtracks, Open to Return to the ‘Spider-Man’ Franchise

    Kirsten Dunst Backtracks, Open to Return to the ‘Spider-Man’ Franchise

    Spider-Man: No Way Home has been filled with theories and rumors that it’s hard to know what is real anymore. It especially got heated when it seemed like actors from previous Spider-Man films were making a comeback. Early rumors included not just the main stars Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, but also some of their supporting cast like Kirsten Dunst‘s Mary Jane.

    In an interview with Total Film, she had openly denied being involved with the film. She also highlighted that she doesn’t actively watch superhero movies, including the latest renditions from Marvel Studios and Sony. So, she didn’t seem to show any active interest in these projects. Yet, in a new interview with Variety, she suddenly changed her tune and seemed open to reprising the role of MJ in a Spider-Man project during a screening at AFI Fest.

    I would do it. Why not? That would be fun. I would never say no to something like that. I’d be old MJ at this point with little Spidey babies.

    Why would this be a curious way to discuss the film? Well, Andrew Garfield did something similar some time ago. At first, he outright denied his involvement with the project only to suddenly leave the door open about potentially returning to the franchise. So, as they continue to get asked about the film, they tend to backtrack from their definite denial.

    It’s also not uncommon for actors involved with these projects to openly deny any involvement. Paul Rudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Renner, and even recently Tatiana Maslany proclaimed their castings as nothing but rumors, which Dunst also openly did in the interview with Total Film. With the confirmed return of Alfred Molina, it’s still quite the possibility and the upcoming release will give us our definite answer.

    Source: Total Film, Variety