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  • Brendan Fraser Joins ‘Batgirl’ as Firefly

    Brendan Fraser Joins ‘Batgirl’ as Firefly

    The resurgence of Brendan Fraser continues with DC as it is being reported that he has joined the upcoming HBO Max film Batgirl as the main antagonist. Sources at Deadline believe Fraser will be playing popular Batman rogue, Firefly, a retired and disgruntled firefighter turned mad arsonist. Casting for the role listed an actor in the 50-60s age range to play a “disgruntled former firefighter.”

    With Firefly set to be the main villain of the Batgirl solo film, it seems likely that the project will be taking inspiration from Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon’s Batgirl: Year One mini-series. The story saw Barbara Gordon rejected from both the Gotham City police department and the FBI, deciding to take her love of superheroes, especially Black Canary. The most interesting bit is that the story features Firefly as the big bad, alongside Killer Moth. While there has yet to be any word of Killer Moth in the film, the pieces seem to be fitting together well.

    With the debut of Jurnee Smollet as Black Canary, it seems possible they could include Barbara’s love of Canary in the film and eventually lead her to join the Birds of Prey within the DCEU, and maybe even lead to an appearance of the team in the film.

    Batgirl currently has no set release date but will release sometime in 2022. The current cast includes Leslie Grace, Jacob Scipio, and JK Simmons who will be reprising the role of Commissioner Gordon and Barbra Gordon’s father in the upcoming film.

    SOURCE: Deadline

  • Square Enix’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Reviews Are Positive

    Square Enix’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Reviews Are Positive

    When it was revealed that Square Enix was working on another Marvel game in Guardians of the Galaxy, there was a lot of trepidation given what happened with Avengers. But lo and behold, turns out that game is actually good. Reviews are out for the game and they are glowing with positivity. Critics are describing the game as unexpected surprise with a lot of personality and heart.

    I always expected to jet around blasting aliens in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. But its new place as one of the more emotionally resonant video game stories in recent memory easily makes it 2021’s best surprise. 

    Polgyon

    Just like the titular scrappy band of underdogs, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy defied all of my expectations. What I expected to be an awkward mishandling of one of Marvel’s most unlikely superhero teams turned out to be one of the most faithful and entertaining depictions of the Guardians since their 2014 movie debut, and one of my favorite games of 2021.

    Kotaku

    Despite its mechanical flaws, in depicting a story of flawed characters, it’s hard to pass up on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. This title feels free of franchise-building and shady business practices. While it tries to ape on your familiarity with the property, it somehow all stands on its own. The visuals, lovable characters, and the promise of hijinx in space are inviting, but within this off-beat exterior is a solid emotional core.

    Gamepur

    Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy nicely balances a goofy, action-filled adventure with some genuinely heartfelt story moments, and the choices you’re given can add some surprising personal twists to your particular playthrough. Its combat and level design are relatively simple if still consistently entertaining, but it’s the relationships and banter between its characters that keep everything fresh as they evolve. It isn’t going to set the world on fire, but Guardians of the Galaxy is still another convincing example of how much fun a linear, no-frills, single-player campaign can be.

    IGN
  • More Additional Photogrpahy Planned for ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel

    More Additional Photogrpahy Planned for ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the first of many dominoes in Marvel Studios recent shift of of their upcoming release slate, moving off of its March 25th, 2022 date to May 6th, 2022. Marvel Entertainment CCO Kevin Feige attributed the shifting slate to production shifts and changes and now we might have a little clearer idea of what he meant thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch.

    In an interview with the Today Show, Cumberbatch indicated that the sequel, which began filming last November, is scheduled to undergo additional photography over the next two months.

    Additional photography is something that Marvel Studios has scheduled into its productions, but in an interview earlier this year, Cumberbatch indicated the planned reshoots were supposed to wrap in September. Whether those reshoots were delayed or these reshoots are in addition to those is unclear; however, in any case, it certainly seems it’s best practice to have the creative team complete the film they want to put in theaters rather than having a new “Release the (insert director here) cut)” movement on social media every 6 months. The Strange sequel has been entirely reinvented since Scott Derrickson left and Michael Waldron and Sam Raimi took over, so letting those two continue to shape the film until they feel its ready to go is in everyone’s best interest.

  • Tom Hiddleston Talks Season 2 of ‘Loki’

    Tom Hiddleston Talks Season 2 of ‘Loki’

    The God of Mischief joined Loki co-stars Sophie DiMartino and Jonathan Majors in London this past weekend at MCM Comic Con and gave just enough information about the second season of the series to make it interesting.

    While summarizing the events of Season 1 of the Disney Plus streaming series, Hiddleston indicated that Season 2 would “start from there”, after referencing the frantic final moments of the first season that saw Loki rush to explain things to Mobius and B-15 only to find they had no memories of any of the recent events that should have taken down the TVA.

    Okay so look, we can’t say anything unfortunately, but at the end of episode six, season one, Loki comes back to TVA. He’s quite traumatised, he’s quite emotional, and he tries to explain what happens to Mobius, and Mobius doesn’t recognise him. And then he turns to look at the statue of the timekeepers, but it’s not a statue of the timekeepers, it’s a statue of someone else… And I guess we’ll start from there. I’m so sorry to disappoint you!

    The cliffhanger left fans with a sense of urgency and frustration and with The-One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, indicating production on the second season isn’t beginning anytime soon as they continue to search for a replacement for director Kate Herron, fans are going to have to wait for quite some time before we find out what’s next for Loki and Mobius.

    Source: Screen Rant

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Artist On Marvel Studios Poster Homage: “Start paying”

    ‘Hawkeye’ Artist On Marvel Studios Poster Homage: “Start paying”

    One of the more unfortunate realities surrounding the billion-dollar franchise that is the MCU is the startling truth that a lot of the people who create the comics that serve as the MCU’s foundation rarely receive worthwhile compensation from the powers that adapt their work.

    Famed Hawkeye artist David Aja is joining a growing list of creators who have expressed frustration over this issue that seemingly continues to be unrectified behind the scenes. Last night, a brand new poster for the Hawkeye series was revealed, paying homage to one of the iconic posters Aja drew for his seminal Hawkeye run with Matt Fraction. Aja had this to say about Marvel Studios’ recreation of his work:

    David Aja‘s artwork on his run with Matt Fraction is arguably the most important selling point of that run. From his distinct minimalist covers to the inventive visual storytelling methods he brought to the table, there’s no doubt that the book wouldn’t be the classic it is without his touch.

    Winter Soldier creator Ed Brubaker recently made waves over complaints he made regarding the issue in light of Marvel Studios building a very lucrative franchise based on his work. The check Marvel Studios allegedly gave Brubaker for adapting the Winter Soldier story was a lot lower than the royalties he received for his 1-second cameo in the movie. Howver, according to Brubaker, Marvel has since reached out to him, likely due to the high publicity of his comments, with the hopes of amending the issue.

    The issue is a highly complicated one, given how all the work-for-hire contracts that a lot of these creators signed were drafted at a time when comic adaptations weren’t the world’s hottest commodity. Still, in an era where the studios are making billions off these people’s work, reasonable compensation should not be an issue. We hope Aja and more creators get compensated for their contributions to the MCU.

  • What to Expect from the Future of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and When to Expect It

    What to Expect from the Future of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and When to Expect It

    Upcoming projects set in Sony’s Spider-Man universe.

  • The Fourth Host: ‘Eternals’ Proves Divisive in First Wave of Reviews

    The Fourth Host: ‘Eternals’ Proves Divisive in First Wave of Reviews

    Marvel Studios Eternals will open up for Thursday night previews in just 10 days and the first wave of reviews from the New York and Los Angeles press screenings and premiers are now online. You can read our review right here, but it is safe to say that the reviews to Marvel Studios 26th film are as divided as any film since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.

    Too Much Talk

    A common criticism of the film is that large portions of it serve as actionless exposition. While that might be expected of a film that attempts to explain the origins of an entire universe, it didn’t land with everyone:

    Peri Nemiroff (YouTube): “The weight of complicated exposition weakens the energy of Eternals a little too often.“

    Rodrigo Perez (Inverse): “Eternals is a chore to explain too, and even comes with an opening “Star Wars”-like crawl—it is by far the Marvel movie with the most mumbo jumbo backstory explaining the setup of things.“

    Different is Good

    Some critics believed that director Chloe Zhao accomplished something truly unlike anything the MCU put to screen before:

    Don Kaye (Den of Geek): “… Marvel Studios’ Eternals doesn’t feel much like the “typical” Marvel movie, whatever that may be.“

    Robert Abele (The Wrap): “But what makes “Eternals” feel special is that, for once, the director genuinely cares as much about the character within that spectacle, as the spectacle itself.“

    Different is Bad

    Other critics believe that Eternals fell short, in part, by moving away from the Marvel formula.

    Steve Rose (The Guardian): “It’s not exactly boring – there’s always something new to behold – but nor it is particularly exciting, and it lacks the breezy wit of Marvel’s best movies.“

    David Ehrlich (Polygon): “By making such an unadventurous movie about how crisis breeds creativity, Marvel effectively illustrates why even the most independent-minded of filmmakers are powerless to evolve an apex predator franchise that doesn’t have any Darwinian impetus to adapt.“

    Reading through a dozen or so reviews, you’ll see some critics praise the use of locations over CGI backdrops and see others cite it as a fault; you’ll see some praise the plot, while others say it’s too dense and complicated. On the whole, the reviews are just as divided on Eternals as the team of Eternals within the movie have become over 7,000 years. As always, the best way to determine how you feel about a film is to see it yourself.

  • Tom Holland Hints at a Mystery Character in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Tom Holland Hints at a Mystery Character in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Empire Magazine’s coverage of Spider-Man: No Way Home has been full of interesting quotes but none to date are going to cause as much of a conversation as this one. While discussing his time on the Spider threequel, Tom Holland described “one of the coolest scenes” he’s ever shot and noted that he shared the scene with Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau and an unnamed actor.

    The scene, as described by Holland, includes his Peter Parker sitting at a table with his Aunt May, Happy Hogan and the unrevealed character discussing what it’s like to be a superhero. Given Holland’s hesitancy to reveal anymore info about the scene, it’s pretty clear he’s not talking about Doctor Strange, meaning Holland is confirming that there are some “surprises” still in store for the audience.

    For close to a year now, the worst kept secret in Hollywood has been that the film would see characters from the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-films enter the MCU, including those versions of Peter/Spidey. The first trailer showed us Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and hinted at Willem Dafoe’s Goblin and Emprire’s coverage has mentioned the multiversal nature of the new film, so it’s easy to imagine the scene Holland described being one in which an older Parker (Maguire or Garfield) sits down to discuss the superhero business. Such a conversation would be a fantastic time to have a philosophical discussion about the interpretation of the Uncle Ben’s advice and provide an opportunity for one of the other Spideys to shine.

    With a new trailer expected sometime soon, maybe we’ll get answers to some of these questions…then again, maybe Sony will just keep us guessing until Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on December 17th.

    Source: Empire Magazine

  • First Look at a New, Out-of-this-World Logo for ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’

    First Look at a New, Out-of-this-World Logo for ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’

    Production on Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has been ongoing for several months now and very little has been revealed from the set…until now. Last night, we got our first look at an all-new, all-different logo for the film. As you can see below, the new logo includes some very stylized, alien-like text for the subtitle.

    We know that a Variant of Jonathan Majors He Who Remains will be in the film, so the text could be a reference to his 31st century origins; on the other hand, we also have plenty of reason to believe a portion of the film will take place in the Quantum Realm, a dimension that’s to date only been explored by Janet van Dyne, so it’s possible that the text could be a reference to some of its residents. Of course, it’s also entirely possible that it was just a pretty cool looking logo. Regardless, we might have to wait quite some time before we find out as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania isn’t set to hit theaters until July 28, 2023.

    Source: Twitter

  • Mysterious ‘What If…?’ Supreme Leader Funko Pop Turns Out to Be Transformed Doctor Strange

    Mysterious ‘What If…?’ Supreme Leader Funko Pop Turns Out to Be Transformed Doctor Strange

    We’ve had quite some fun trying to decipher who exactly was the Funko Pop titled “Supreme Leader.” At first, we believed it was What If..?‘s Ultron given his new status and ownership of the Infinity Stones. Yet, it turned out he was simply given the name “Infinity Ultron” before getting released. So, we’ve been wondering who the mysterious and unannounced New York Comic Con Funko might end up being. Finally, the wait is over, as we got our first look at the character and it is actually Doctor Strange Supreme, but the version possessed by the different beasts and demons he’s absorbed.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CVbP3GgJL5z/?utm_medium=copy_link

    It’s a great addition to the quite diverse line-up of Funko’s for the Disney+ series. What If…?‘s anthology approach did open up the doors for some creative releases. Of course, the most popular and available Funko Pops involved the zombie episode. There’s something fun about the fact that Marvel Studios added these horror staples into the mostly family-friendly franchise.

    We recently saw the zombified version of Captain America appear in Avengers Campus. It makes you wonder if they’ll go all out and include the transformed Doctor Strange at some point. It would make for an imposing addition during Halloween to see Strange mid-transformation, as he tries to find someone at the park to help him return back to normal. It makes you wish you were at the campus during the season of horror to see what they’ll try out.

    Source: Instagram