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  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Might Push Peter Parker to His Breaking Point

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Might Push Peter Parker to His Breaking Point

    The MCU’s Spider-Man films have had some dark moments but were mostly light-hearted. Now, he’s about to face his biggest challenge yet, as villains from other cinematic storylines are entering the fray. Not only is he about to face multiple villains, but he’ll also learn fast that they’ve already faced a Spider-Man before, especially with how Alfred Molina‘s Doc Ock seemed quite familiar with Peter Parker. In an interview with Total Film, Tom Holland highlights that this might be the darkest entry in the trilogy.

    What people will be really surprised about is that it’s not fun, this film. It’s dark and it’s sad, and it’s going to be really affecting. You’re going to see characters that you love go through things that you would never wish for them to go through. And I was just really excited to kind of lean into that side of Peter Parker.

    Tom Holland

    It’s certainly an intriguing tease by the actor, especially with how this might push our favorite webhead to his limits. Of course, the actor also gets a chance to explore Parker in new and distinctive ways. He goes on to highlight:

    Peter Parker is always someone who’s looking up. He’s always really positive. He’s always like, ‘I can fix this. I can do this.’ Whereas in this film, he feels like he’s met his match. He’s like, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ That was an aspect of the character that I’d never seen before, and I was really, really excited to try to tackle.

    Tom Holland

    It makes you worried about what it might mean for Parker and his supporting cast. In a way, it makes you wonder if he might face another tragedy in his life that continues to push him forward while forcing him to rethink what it means to be a hero. He already lost his mentor and is about to face an ever-changing universe.

    Source: Total Film

  • Tom Holland on How ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is “Three Generations Coming Together”

    Tom Holland on How ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is “Three Generations Coming Together”

    Now, we all know what you’re thinking about with the title. So did Total Film when they sat down with Tom Holland to discuss his role in the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home film. Throughout the interview, it seemed that the actor almost let slip one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry. It didn’t help that when they questioned if he had to prove himself on set with the cast while pointing out rumors of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire making the rounds, he said the following:

    It was interesting having those guys come in because they have a certain ownership over Spider-Man in their own way”

    Tom Holland

    He naturally corrected quickly to point out he is talking about working alongside Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx “and those guys,” probably alluding to the other rumored returning actors like the recently teased Willem Dafoe. Both actors are returning from very different types of films. Holland also points out how interesting it was to see them adapt to a new director and new Spider-Man, as they bring back these classic characters.

    It means a lot to me. The first time you see Doc and the rest of the characters that come back, it’s so exciting – and it’s such a huge moment in cinematic history. It’s three generations coming together.

    Tom Holland

    His last point is certainly the highlight of what the film’s new multiverse direction is offering, as we get another chance to revisit characters we’ve come to love over the years. It’ll be interesting to see how the film explains their appearance and what it might mean for the character’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He did jokingly reference that no one would believe him if he continues to deny that previous Spider-Man actors are in the film, but laughs it off.

    Source: Total Film

  • Kumail Nanjiani Almost Didn’t Join ‘Eternals’ Due to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Kumail Nanjiani Almost Didn’t Join ‘Eternals’ Due to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Sometimes things happen for a reason. There are castings that are hard to imagine being played by someone else, but others were you imagine what could’ve been. It seems that Kumail Nanjiani had quite a curious history in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We now know him as the Eternal Kingo, but it seems he almost didn’t have the role. In an interview with the podcast My Mom’s Basement, writer Kaz Firpo pointed out that the actor didn’t initially join the project because he was already cast in James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

    Little fun fact, we literally basically pitched from like the jump. We were like, we love Kumail, we love everything he pretty much has done, specifically Silicon Valley and what he is up to. And we pitched to the producers right from the beginning, like it’s got to be Kumail. They were like: ‘It can’t be because he’s got a role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn like has already written him into it so he can’t do Eternals.’

    Kaz Firpo

    Of course, as we all know things didn’t quite pan out for the third Guardians film early on and it got delayed indefinitely. Luckily, the wait has come to an end, as it just recently entered production. Sadly, the writer has pointed out that they don’t know what role exactly he had, but it’s quite interesting that Gunn wrote one with him in mind. Perhaps we’ll find out later down the line once we’ve learned more about the threequel.

    You can watch the full interview on the topic here:

    Source: Twitter

  • REVIEW: ‘Olaf Presents’ is a Lovable Recycling Project

    REVIEW: ‘Olaf Presents’ is a Lovable Recycling Project

    Olaf Presents is the latest in Disney’s obsession with rehashing and recycling the bottomless financial well of its animated films. Despite the lingering question of what exactly is the goal or purpose of the mini-series, it does manage to be genuinely delightful. Josh Gad’s Olaf of the Frozen franchise fame is a golden nugget of a character and is special enough that his overuse and excessive commercialization can be forgiven enough to truly enjoy this series. With its home on Disney+ within the complete collection of the films, the talking snowman “presents” places it in a much-needed external context. Instead of being a cute, but empty isolated concept, it feels much more like a worthy piece of the larger animated Disney film tapestry. 

    With each episode sporting a runtime of under two minutes, the length of each mini-story is perfect. It’s enough to get a laugh, but it ends almost exactly when it starts to get old. In fact, everything about Olaf Presents is miniature. The writing comes in super abrupt chunks and the editing emphasizes it. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it narrative sections combined with the harsh edit to the next one to two-second section is quite funny. Gad is as triumphant as the silly sidekick as ever, and it’s one of those rare castings that seem irreplaceable. Gad and Olaf in Olaf Presents only need to find a way to be funny in micro-bursts, and they can do that on repeat in this series. 

    Much of the humor comes from Olaf’s more removed takes on some of Disney’s most classic animated movies. He describes scenes or plot points in ways that the “ordinary” person might. The dark, dramatic, and detailed description of Mufasa’s death in The Lion King that emphasizes just how brutal the famous scene actually is is a perfect example. Our goofy snowman surely makes people think, “Look! He’s saying what we’ve always thought!” 

    Poking fun at its own films is a refreshing move from Disney at least. The mini-series is able to call out some outdated, overly corny, or otherwise laughable themes and storylines that work best for older movies, such as 1989’s The Little Mermaid. It is interesting, though, how Olaf Presents can make an audience laugh at the absurdities in Disney movies by taking cues from the Frankenstein’s Monster of Disney movies’ culmination of their absurdities.  

    The series is a nice way to promote classic films by using a more recent but future classic as a vehicle to reintroduce them either to a younger audience who did not grow up on some of the older animated classics or to an older audience that has left them behind. The presentations are undoubtedly far less enjoyable—if at all—to a person who hasn’t seen the movie being presented. So, to that extent, it’s unclear if Olaf Presents can persuade a newbie to scroll to another part of Disney+ to watch a feature-length film for context.

    Olaf Presents is honestly a funny, cute, and amusing collection of bite-sized episodes for the Disney animated film fan. Olaf’s humor will not disappoint his fan base and it’s surely more than enough to make Olaf-indifferent audiences laugh. Poking fun at classic, and even more recent, movies for about a minute and a half proves to be entertaining. However, those who aren’t already familiar with the movies may not get much out of the series. While the series is a blatant recycling project that highlights ongoing Disney’s death grip on its iconic properties, the fact that Olaf Presents finds itself as a tiny piece within the Disney+ platform makes it feel like a more inspired addition to the conglomerate. 

    Olaf Presents premieres exclusively on Disney+ on Nov. 12.

  • RUMOR: Chloe Zhao “Locked In” to Helm Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Movie

    RUMOR: Chloe Zhao “Locked In” to Helm Kevin Feige’s Star Wars Movie

    Fresh off her Marvel Studios debut as the director of Eternals, Chloe Zhao is now rumored to have signed on to direct Kevin Feige’s Star Wars film that has been in development for the past couple of years. The rumor came courtesy of One Take News and was quickly backed up by Star Wars scooper Jordan Maison, who said he’d heard Zhao was “locked in” to direct the film.

    Feige began working with Lucasfilm to develop a Star Wars film in late 2019 and little has been heard about that film since. Recently, while doing press for Eternals, Zhao hinted that her next project might be a Star Wars film, calling the Star Wars universe one she has “so much reverence for.”

    Earlier this year, a trade report revealed that Michael Waldron, who wrote both Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for Marvel Studios, had struck a deal to write Feige’s film, meaning we’re seeing a full team of Marvel creatives head to the galaxy far, far away.

    If both the writer and director are in place, an announcement could be forthcoming, especially with some insight into the future of Star Wars expected at this Friday’s Disney Plus Day.

    Source: One Take News

  • Season 2 of ‘Squid Game’ Confirmed by Hwang Dong-hyuk

    Season 2 of ‘Squid Game’ Confirmed by Hwang Dong-hyuk

    Since its debut in September, Squid Game has proven to be a massive success for Netflix.

    By the end of October, The Korean drama amassed an astounding 3 billion minutes viewed in a week’s span. With just under two months since its release, Squid Game has earned the honor of best title performance of 2021 in the U.S. rankings. Not bad for a series that only premiered in September. The drama continues to dominate Netflix’s Top 10, too, where it has remained since its debut. Yet, a second season has remained in question… until now.

    AP Entertainment recently had a chance to speak with Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator, writer and director behind the Netflix smash hit. While an official announcement has yet to come, Dong-hyuk promises there are more Gi-hun adventures on the way. “I will say there will indeed be a second season,” he says. “It’s in my head right now. I’m in the planning process currently.”

    Unfortunately, those hoping for a quick return will find themselves disappointed. “I do think it’s too early to say when and how that’s going to happen.”

    The first season of Squid Game is now streaming on Netflix.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Diane Guerrero on How Mental Health Played a Role in Joining ‘Encanto’

    EXCLUSIVE: Diane Guerrero on How Mental Health Played a Role in Joining ‘Encanto’

    Disney is about to embark on a new kind of animated adventure with Encanto. The story of an unlikely family with powers explores the different dynamics that come to play when one of them stands out for one simple reason: she doesn’t have any. It allows us to explore a very different kind of dynamic, as the family must face an unlikely challenge. It features an all-star cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz in the leading role, John Leguizamo, Angie Cepeda, Adassa, and many more. Among them, of course, is Diane Guerrero, who made a name for herself in the DC comics-inspired series Doom Patrol. 

    Our very own Hunter Radesi got a chance to sit down with the actress to discuss what drew her to the role of Isabel Madrigal. Along with discussing what drew her to the role, she explained how different it is from her previous work. Guerrero revealed most of her work and the roles that interest her are all about mental health. With Encanto, that was partly what drew her to the project, but she also liked that it explores the family dynamic.

    I’m a huge fan of Disney and the roles that I play, I care about them aligning with my values. I care about mental health, I care about family, I care about mental wellness in family And this film addresses something that we, you know, rarely talk about, especially, in family films. We have family films, they talk about family dynamics but rarely do we see the sacrifice and the ancestral trauma that comes along with some of some of those trials and tribulations that, you know, what it actually took to get you here.

    Diane Guerrero

    It’s quite interesting to learn how she approaches her roles, especially with the glimpse of what Encanto will explore once it hits theaters. The trailers tease the importance of family and the challenge of sticking out from the rest of the family. It puts a lot of pressure on someone, and it’s not easy for everyone to take in without it weighing them down. So, it’s great to see Guerrero‘s put her very values at the forefront when choosing roles.

    Encanto hits theaters on Nov. 24th.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Details on Scrapped ‘Offenders’ Hulu Team-Up Cartoon

    EXCLUSIVE: Details on Scrapped ‘Offenders’ Hulu Team-Up Cartoon

    Once upon a time, Hulu was to be the new home for a slew of adult-oriented Marvel content, specifically an edgy animated team-up show titled the Offenders. Starring a line-up of offbeat characters that included the likes of Howard the Duck, MODOK, Hit-Monkey, Dazzler, and Tigra, the concept never saw the light of day due to Marvel Television shutting down. MODOK and Hit-Monkey, however, managed to survive the ordeal.

    I spoke to Hit-Monkey showrunners Will Speck and Josh Gordon today and asked about what exactly Marvel had in store for an original concept like The Offenders.

    It was a very loose plan. It was the idea that there were a few sidelined characters that could, at some point, join up and that was the vision. One of the original concepts, when they pitched it to Hulu, was, “Let’s design four separate shows that don’t necessarily have plans to combine and find a way to combine them.” We were always in talks with the other showrunners like [MODOK executive producer] Jordan Blum to figure out where the points of intersection were. Stylistically and humor-wise, the shows were never created to resemble each other. We always thought that it was such a cool choice to combine the different styles.

    From the sound of it, it kinda seems like Offenders would have been a show that was unlike any other superhero show currently out there. The idea they had in mind sounds very familiar to a lot of the Adult Swim mashups like Harvey Birdman, Attorney-at-Law and Space Ghost, Coast to Coast; an idiosyncratic marriage of polarizing premises to create a crazy blob of a show.

    As fun as it would have been to see a stop-motion MODOK interact with a 2D Hit-Monkey, it’s hard to imagine a Feige-led Marvel brand agreeing to something this wacky. MODOK, for all its oddities, was actually a well-made show. Saving more of my elaborate thoughts in my review, I’ll say that Hit-Monkey was also a pleasant surprise.

  • Chris Pratt Gives Details on the First Day of Production for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Chris Pratt Gives Details on the First Day of Production for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Once upon a time, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was scheduled to hit theaters in May of 2020. As it turns out, if things go according to plan, we’ll see what director James Gunn has called the final chapter for this version of the team 3 years after that original date. It’s been a long time coming, both for fans and for the cast of the film, but production finally began on the film yesterday and, according to star Chris Pratt, the wait will be worth it for us all.

    Following the first day, Pratt took the time to give some feedback on the first day via Instagram and left us wondering just exactly what went on:

    We’ve heard several members of the cast describe the Vol. 3 script as emotional and with Gunn continuing to insist it’s the end of the line for this version of the team and indicating that it’s quite possible some members of the team won’t make it out of this one alive, it’s no surprise to see Pratt share those sentiments.

    Films don’t always shoot scenes in the order in which they appear in the film and thank to Gunn, we know what cast members were on set yesterday, including newcomer Chukwudi Iwuji. Given Pratt’s comments and the presence of both Iwuji and Zoe Saldana (whose Gamora will probably need some time to be located and figure out her place on the team since she is the time-displaced version of the character), it’s possible the scene filmed yesterday could be one from later on in the film where one of the characters has met his or her fate. Pratt says the movie will be worth the wait and for now, we’ll have to take his word for it.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently scheduled to rock into theaters on May 5, 2023.

  • Netflix’s Live-Action ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’ Eyeing December 2023 Release

    Netflix’s Live-Action ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’ Eyeing December 2023 Release

    Here’s a curious way to start off the day, as Netflix has revealed on Twitter that their live-action adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi‘s manga Yu Yu Hakusho will eye a release in 2023. While they haven’t offered an official first look just yet, there’s still some time as it won’t premiere on the streaming service until December of 2023. There has been rather little fanfare surrounding this adaptation, but a set photo leaked back in June as it was filming in Japan at the time.

    Netflix has been quite busy preparing live-action adaptations of popular anime and manga. Cowboy Bebop is only a week away before we get to explore a Western adaptation of the classic series. They also announced a One Piece series some time ago, which has been slowly building up momentum since the official first logo was finally unveiled a few months ago. Even if Netflix is announcing a release date for its Yu Yu Hakusho series, it doesn’t mean we’ll get an official first look yet. With almost two years to go, which is odd considering it started production supposedly in June, we might have a long wait ahead of us.

    Source: Twitter, CBR