Blog

How ‘SUICIDE SQAD 3’ Could Build Upon ‘JUSTICE LEAGUE’s Aftermath

After the explosive success that was The Suicide Squad, the team is bound to make a return at some point. When that day eventually comes, Gunn has taught us how much value this franchise gains from a new writer and director. While keeping the films subtly separate, I believe it’s time to explore what happened between The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey, which allows Rick Flag and Captain Boomerang to return for one of the many other missions hinted at by both them in the opening of James Gunn‘s film.

The premise for this pitch would follow Amanda Waller sending out a team to Pozharnov, Russia. If the location sounds familiar, it’s where the Justice League faced off against Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons. However, the location would now be the temporary base of operations for Intergang, who’ve moved in on the terraformed territory and salvaged leftover Apokolyptian tech. They’ve started reengineering it for sale to capitalize on the tragedy. While they’ve been a mostly Superman antagonist, the group should take a Hydra-like role in the DCEU, acting in the shadows with its ties to Apokolips.

The latest verison of the gang would be lead by Bruno and Moxie Manheim, Doctor Polaris, Neutron, Toyman, and Deathstroke, who were sent to keep things on track by the one bankrolling the operation, Lex Luthor. Deadshot returns with another team consisting of hand-picked members especially suited for this mission to search and and shut down Intergangs operation.

The roster could include Poison Ivy, Killer Frost, Rick Flag, Count Vertigo, Parasite, Nightshade, Killer Moth, Clock King, Captain Boomerang, and Copperhead. This time around, there’s no diversion with a team but rather two groups with specific missions to accomplish. In typical Waller tradition, she doesn’t inform them of each other’s existence, which leads to an unexpected confrontation.

The one notable absence in this film would be Harley, and while she’s been a staple in the past two films, it’s time to move on. Captain Boomerang teased he’s been on different missions when he asked her surprised what she was doing back in prison. I think exploring those missions getting to know some past fan favorites, even more, would be much more beneficial. Placing it during Birds of Prey also gives a good reason why Harley is absent and gives us a new perspective on the team that might also explore why Waller continues to fall down a darker path.

August 15, 2021
‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’s Dance Off to Save the Galaxy

Editor’s note: This was written by our good friend, Pierre Chanliau.

Years ago, there was a brief and odd time when people derided Peter Quill’s dance-off with Ronan in Guardians of the Galaxy. Claiming it devalued the tension of the scene by reducing it to a joke. On the whole, the scene in question is one of the best in James Gunn’s debut MCU film. So, before he begins work on the threequel, let’s talk about that dance-off.

After the Dark Aster crashes into Xandar, Peter Quill and the rest of the Guardians emerge from the rubble unscathed thanks to Groot’s sacrifice. A sacrifice that Rocket mourns, holding several twigs of what remains of his friend. Ronan suddenly rises from the crash, equality unscathed, to the horror of everyone. After repelling a futile attack from a furious Rocket, Ronan begins to give an overtly verbose and hammy speech to the citizens of Xandar about enacting his vengeance. He raises his hammer to destroy the planet but before he can, he’s interrupted by singing from none other than Peter Quill. That song that’s actually playing in this scene is from The Five Stairsteps’ “O-o-h Child.” An uplifting song about how “things are gonna get easier” in times of strife.

It isn’t a mistake that this song is the last one from Peter Quill’s first mixtape. Meredith Quill likely included this last song specifically for her son when she was first diagnosed with brain cancer. One way to look at this scene, is that she inadvertently helped her son save the galaxy since it was this song playing that prompted Peter to improvise his distraction. So even in death, Meredith was there for her son.

What also isn’t talked about enough is how this desperate ploy by Quill actually made Ronan a tad more interesting as a character with one single delivery from Lee Pace. As if breaking character, Ronan looks on, confused, at Quill’s display, asking him in an uncharismatically quiet voice, “What are you doing?” Not only is it one of the funniest line reads in the entire film, but it showcases the “real” Ronan. Thanos was right when he called the Accuser a “boy” with the demeanor of “a pouty child.”

Looking at every one of Ronan’s actions in retrospect, he was always putting on an act. He’s so desperate to be taken seriously, that he literally bathes in the blood of his enemies with no sense of irony. Not to mention his desperate need to be taken seriously, such as when he killed The Other, the voice of Thanos. This interpretation of Ronan is reaffirmed when he asks the question again, but with Pace returning to the Accuser’s typical cadence. It’s as if Ronan is trying to save face and regain control of the scene after his (obviously prepared) speech was rudely interrupted.

Regardless of the massive difference compared to his comic book counterpart, this one moment gives this adaptation of Ronan a bit more character than other low-tier villains in the MCU, like Christopher Eccleston’s abysmal Malekith. After Quill’s distraction succeeds, the rest of the scene is far more self-explanatory. It blatantly symbolizes Peter accepting his mother’s passing as he finally grabs her hand. Something he didn’t do as a child years ago because it meant acknowledging her impending death. Despite what one might think of Gunn, he nails the emotional beats in his films when they matter most, and he’ll hopefully be able to match this in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

August 15, 2021
How Chinese Mythology and Marvel History Could Set Up a ‘SHANG-CHI’ Sequel Featuring Iron Fist

The trailers for Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings have so far done a pretty good job of showing us a lot and divulging very little. Nevertheless, we here at Murphy’s Multiverse have been hard at work analyzing every little detail we can. Recently, the team published a few articles speculating on the inclusion of important Chinese mythology in the film. If true, it could open the doors to the future of the franchise in some big ways. If the next installment in the Shang-Chi saga decides to lean further into this mythology, it could set up a sequel featuring a partnership everyone has been wanting to see. Some further digging and a whole lot of reading, reveals an interesting connection between the titular Master of Kung Fu and another popular Marvel martial artist, the Immortal Iron Fist.

It seems incredibly likely, even if it’s not yet confirmed, that Shang-Chi‘s first solo film will end with him in possession of the Ten Rings. It’s been strongly hinted at in the footage and posters we’ve seen released for the movie, and it would be a fun new way for the MCU to “power up” a character who’s already pretty dangerous on his own. As human machine Joseph Aberl pointed out in his own prospective piece, the origins of these mystical rings could have a pretty heavy connection to the film’s Great Protector and the other dragons of importance in Chinese folklore. If Simu Liu‘s protagonist were to end up the owner of this immense ancient power, it would be a great starting point in a journey to discover more about where this energy comes from.

The theory here is that the “Great Protector” is actually the White Dragon of Qinghai Lake, one of the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas in Chinese legend. Not just that, he’d also be the creator of the Ten Rings. This idea stems from the shots in the movie’s trailers that show the Great Protector, a white dragon, submerged in water and interacting with a fully-uniformed Shang-Chi, presumably in a climactic moment of the story. He is also historically associated with the element of metal, which plays into the concept of molding the rings. If this theory turns out to be correct, it would allow for the other Dragon Kings to play a role in future Shang-Chi projects concerning our hero and his efforts to understand his past. This is where things get interesting. If a person were to dig far enough into Marvel lore, they would discover that one of the other Dragon Kings once played a vital role in the origins of the mystical city K’un L’un and it’s champion, the Iron Fist.

Long before the days of Matt Fraction‘s famous run, which rewrote the history of the character and made his title a generational mantle, there was a little tale by the name of Power Man & Iron Fist #118-122. This comic attempted to give Shou-Lao the Undying, the dragon from whom Danny Rand received his powers, a new origin more closely tied to mythology. In it, we find that Shou-Lao was once a mortal resident of K’un L’un who began a romantic relationship with a dragon in her human form. Unfortunately for him, this dragon turned out to be the sister of the Black Dragon, who was unpleased with Shou-Lao’s actions. As revenge, he turned Shou-Lao into an immortal beast, confined him to a cave, and ripped out his heart. Eventually, killing this dragon and plunging his fists into the removed heart is what would give Rand his supernatural abilities. In the story, Rand and Luke Cage would have to confront the Black Dragon.

This has since been retconned, but the MCU could use it as a jumping off point for a meeting between Shang-Chi and Rand in a potential sequel. If the Great Protector is a Dragon King, and our newly formed hero ends up searching of the other dragons and the power they bestow on Earth, it could lead him directly to the doorstep of K’un L’un. A famous Iron Fist story involves Danny Rand and the other champions of the Heavenly Cities fighting back against a corrupt K’un L’un leader known as Yu-Ti. The comic Black Dragon once took the city over by force. Perhaps these concepts could be combined to make the film’s antagonist, as he disguised himself in a human form as Yu-Ti.

Another possibility is that the dragons are tied to the Heavenly Cities themselves, with Wenwu and the Ten Rings’ base of operations functioning as a Heavenly City in the MCU. The decade-long disappearing act often pulled by Heavenly Cities could help explain why the Mandarin has not yet been seen in the MCU, and why Shang-Chi was given “ten years” to discover himself separate from the organization. It would also align with Michelle Yeoh‘s comments about portraying the protector of a “mythical city”. If this is true, and Shang-Chi becomes the city’s new champion, it would stand to reason that he might have to use his Ten Rings to compete in a future Tournament of the Heavenly Cities. Either way, a future team-up between Shang-Chi and the Iron Fist is starting to feel a little less far-fetched.

Source: Echoes From Old China, Comic Vine

August 14, 2021
How Marvel Studios Continues to Push Innovation Through the MCU

Marvel Studios is on the verge of the longest run of A-letter grade Cinemascores. If Shang-Chi, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home each achieve at least an A-, the MCU will take the lead from Pixar with 23 theatrical releases in a row that garnered that audience rating. It’s no easy claim to release films that people enjoyed consistently. Beyond being tuned in with their audiences, whose tastes might change, this level of consistency requires a dedicated approach to improvement and innovation. Let’s take a closer look at how the once small-time production company continues to innovate.

Kevin Feige typifies Marvel Studios’ approach to improvement. In an interview with Vanity Fair in the lead-up to Avengers: Infinity War, he noted that a childhood hobby of his was being disappointed with sequel films he’d seen, then creating better versions in his head and with his action figures. He’d often think to himself:

I gotta fix it. I gotta come up with a better [version].

Feige’s path mirrors a journey many Marvel Studios’ employees would later go on. He was rejected five times from film school at the University of Southern California before getting in and interned for Lauren Shuler Donner. She eventually took him on as her personal assistant and he would go on to become an associate producer on 2000’s X-Men. His approach to gradual improvement would eventually turn into the MCU.

This improvement also bears itself in the first films of the MCU through their innovative use of visual development. In an interview with Kevin Smith earlier in 2021, Marvel Studios’ Director of Visual Development, Andy Park, notes that Marvel Studio’s leadership trio of Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Victoria Alonso made the hiring of the in-house visual development team rather “unique” in its approach to a shared universe. In the film industry, freelancers are often changed between films, allowing a progression where the artists can work on characters “through the years” and even in advance of writers working on a project.

Although not all of the key art drawn by the visual development will make it into a film or show, Park emphasizes just how in tandem the teams work by stating that:

It was also our art that they plaster along the wall [of the writers room as a] source of inspiration.

It would also be accompanied by the comic book source material to offer writers a full picture for inspiration. This innovative setup is just one of how it helps writers, directors, production designers, and actors develop and improve upon projects as they go.

A more recent innovation process seems to have evolved from Kevin Feige’s experiences early in the industry. The Parliament is a group that is partly made up of six executive producers, who each produce individual Marvel Studios films while marshaling the cohesion of the shared universe. Stephen Broussard, Eric Carroll, Brad Winderbaum, Nate Moore, Trihn Tran, and Jonathan Schwartz have each been at Marvel Studios for over ten years often dating back to the first MCU films. They started their careers with roles like assistant as early as 2005.

Nate Moore was working managing the Marvel Studios Writers Program, having never produced a film before when Kevin Feige offered him the opportunity to co-produce Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He describes this experience as being similar to all the other producers at Marvel Studios in an interview with Vanity Fair’s Still Watching podcast:

That’s sort of been the experience of every producer who has ever made a Marvel Studios film and one point they were untested, hadn’t done a film and then Marvel said ‘here’s your giant blockbuster kid, make your movie.’

This encouragement for adaptation and improvement is such a facet of the company that when Harvard Business Review “analyzed 338 interviews with producers, directors, and writers and 140 reviews from leading critics” to assess the reasons behind Marvel Studios’ success, they concluded that one of their leading principles is “selecting for experienced inexperience” just as Feige went from interning to becoming an associate producer under Lauren Shuler Donner.

While each Marvel Studios project always had individual producers attached to them from beginning to end, The Parliament is an overarching collaborative group that allows the producers of each project to share notes on casting, script, costume, and visual effect iterations. It ensures a cohesive shared universe of script connections and overall character arcs, as well as the development of future stories. When talking about how Loki will impact Spider-Man: Far From Home, Head Writer Michael Waldron notes that:

Your producing teams are constantly communicating with those producing teams to make sure that you’re not screwing each other up.

Each of Marvel Studios’ recent Disney+ streaming shows Wandavision (Mary Livanos), The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (Zoie Nagelhout) and Loki (Kevin Wright) each had a producer working with the writers. They act as a creative partner to the head writer and the writer’s room in the most creative and impactful way possible. At the same time, while guiding them through other projects. Again, each of these up-and-coming producers was at one point an assistant who has been promoted to the point where they are executives producing a project for themselves. Malcolm Spellman, Head Writer of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier notes that:

Marvel wants you to create first and they want you to do it without worrying about […] if there is obvious threads to the greater MCU.

Then at some point, they might say that something written as innocuous can become something more meaningful in the wider MCU. Derek Kolstad, another writer on the show, notes that they “meet at the beginning of the day and the end of the day” to coordinate and deal with the overlapping complexity of the shared universe. That way, the creative talent doesn’t have to and can focus on their main jobs. This level of coordination accelerates the balance of iteration, improvement, and innovation at Marvel Studios.

Marvel Studios is in the relatively early stages of having a shared universe between various media. Just as we saw improvements in their films going from the origins to the classics we’re likely also going to see a similar journey. This time, it’ll be in combination across film and TV formats. With innovative processes in place within their set-up, it seems inevitable not only that more classics are on the way, but eventually later on down the line we’ll see both an evolution of these improving processes and perhaps even more media formats joining the MCU.

Source: Vanity Fair, YouTube, Vanity Fair (Moore), Harvard Business Manager, Collider

August 14, 2021
Todd McFarlane’s ‘SPAWN’ Film Adds ‘BROKEN CITY’s Writer Brian Tucker

The long-rumored Spawn film finally seems to be moving forward. The Hollywood Reporter has unveiled that Todd McFarlane‘s passion project added Brian Tucker. He’s well-known for his work on the 2013 crime thriller Broken City, which starred Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg. The film will be produced by Blumhouse Productions with McFarlane set as the film’s director. He’ll also produce the film alongside Carla Hacken and Jason Blum.

The project has been talked about since 2017 with Jamie Foxx attached for some time. Even Jeremy Renner was involved as well, but it’s uncertain if they are still set to star. The Hollywood Reporter stated that once the script is written they’ll approach the actors again. The last update we got on the project was briefly during CCXP back in December of 2020. At the time, McFarlane teased multiple other big names involved with the project but there was no other announcement made.

It’s uncertain how long Tucker has already been involved with the project and if he is called in to rewrite a project. Still, it’s great to see that the project is moving forward and there’s still hope to see Spawn in all his glory on the silvers screen. We did get one adaptation featuring Michael Jai White in 1997, which was adapted as a horror-action film by New Line. The comic has been running since 1992 under the Image Comics banner and currently stands as the longest-running indie title. So, it’s time he gets his time to shine in cinemas once again.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

August 13, 2021
‘TITANS’ Vincent Kartheiser Unlikely to Return After Season 3 Due to Misconduct Investigations

Titans‘ third season has finally and it seems its premiere is smeared with some rather surprising news. Deadline has revealed that new cast member Vincent Kartheiser will very likely not return for a fourth season due to the actor being subject to multiple investigations by the studio. It seems the actor triggered at least two complaints and two internal investigations over the course of the season’s production. He was accused of disruptive, juvenile behavior alongside inappropriate comments. All investigations were done remotely from Burbank due to COVID protocols.

According to them, the accusations haven’t risen to the point that he would get kicked from the show’s production, but he did get a representative that was monitoring the actor’s behavior closely. Naturally, Kartheiser‘s spokesperson denies the allegations and only shared the following statement on the matter:

Warner Bros investigated this matter and made clear to Mr. Kartheiser its expectations for behavior on the set, and he agreed to comply with their directives.

It’s quite shocking that these allegations have only seen the light of day now. Of course, there is no official confirmation or statement by Warner Bros. So, we still need to consider there is more to this story but it’s not a great way for Titans to kick-off its third season. Kartheiser took on the role of the famous Batman villain Scarecrow and only had a one-year contract. So, it seems they might write out the character and focus on a new villain for the fourth season.

Source: Deadline

August 13, 2021
Emma Stone Closes Deal to Join ‘CRUELLA’ Sequel

It looks like Emma Stone loved playing the character of Cruella de Vil so much, she has officially signed on for a sequel. Deadline has just revealed that she closed her deal with Disney that may offer some positive light on the controversy surrounding their Disney+ Premier Access model. After facing lawsuits from Scarlett Johansson, rumors started hitting the Internet that Stone would join in due to her film being a simultaneous release.

Yet, it seems she was open to returning, and with her joining the project, the Cruella sequel is a go for Disney. In June, Craig Gillespie already signed off to direct the project with Tony McNamara working on the script. It’ll be interesting to see how they follow up the project, as they either continue to explore her time before the fateful meeting with 101 dalmation or they jump straight into a live-action adaptation of it. It seems unlikely they’d want to paint the character purely in a negative light after building up her character throughout the first film.

It’s definitely a win for Disney, as it paints their digital distribution in a positive light. There’s no official word if Stone had any benefit from Cruella‘s release, as we also never found out how much money the prequel made during its opening weekend. Disney only released the information starting with Black Widow. So, the sequel plans already hinted at the first film’s success on the service alongside its strong Box Office showing. It’ll be interesting to see if the same will hold true for Jungle Cruise, which recently released on the service.

Source: Deadline

August 13, 2021
REVIEW: ‘TITANS’ Season 3 Episodes 1-3

The first three episodes of Titans Season 3 released on HBO Max yesterday waste no time making it clear that Titans can be a very different show. Despite still being centered around darker themes, it is hard to miss that the start of the season feels like Titans is being dragged away from its overly broody, dispirited origins. Episode 1 immediately portrays our heroes as an actual team that takes down bad guys and sticks around for the San Francisco press—the people love them. Already, the show feels more optimistic and a bit more enthusiastic.

Dick Grayson himself is a bit jarringly more upbeat in these first scenes. He is snarkier and less dejected, fully embracing his role as the leader of the Titans. Koriand’r is similarly lighter and friendlier right off the bat. Season 3 also wasted no time in updating her look once again. While it’s a bit tedious to see her physically change so frequently—especially while the others remain exactly the same—each time Titans updates Kory she tends to look more and more like the strong and intimidating royal alien that we want her to be. The other characters showcased in the early minutes of Episode 1—Gar, Conner, Dawn, and Hank—all are given brief but meaningful re-introductions that emphasize how far the characters have come in terms of their physical abilities and relationships to one another.

The first three episodes are ignited by the death of Jason Todd. While Season 2 ended with the death of Donna Troy, using Jason’s supposed death as the focal point here is genuinely a clever move. Fresh off of the trauma and perceived abandonment he endured by the Titans last season, Jason as Robin impulsively and unpreparedly confronts the Joker alone, only appear to be quickly and brutally beaten to death. Already the show has married the internal tensions of the Titans with Gotham City lore, which Titans has repeatedly flirted with in the past. Dick’s discovery of Jason’s strange chemical inhalant and Bruce Wayne’s utter psychotic break following Jason’s death sparks a detective thriller that sees the Titans relocate to Wayne Manor to investigate.

There is heavy emphasis on Bruce Wayne/Batman, Gotham, Dick, and Jason in the first three episodes. While the show seems rightfully aware of its past success in its portrayal of Dick as a damaged former Robin and his relationship to Bruce, this theme starts to feel a bit excessive at times. The way in which Titans is going out of its way to literally tell (rather than show) us how Bruce is a psychopath who destroyed the lives of young Dick and Jason is too forced. Dick and Barbara Gordon talk about how Bruce is in denial several times, Barbara yells at Bruce in front of Dick about how horrible he was with the Robins, and Bruce promptly opted to murder to Joker all to bring it home that Bruce is, well, terrible. The introduction of Barbara has so far been positive, as she anchors our characters into Gotham a bit more smoothly. It also expands our known Bat-Family and exposes us to more of its secrets and scars.

Still, the show wasted an opportunity to emotionally hook the audience at the start by glossing over Jason’s “death.” Given the groundwork the series has laid, it likely would have been effective to wallow in the loss for a moment before quickly moving on to his Red Hood alias and continually focusing on how Bruce is, again, terrible. Not only does the rushed and vague death make the Red Hood twist more predictable, but it also dampens how much impact the story could have had with a more intense focus on the implications of Jason’s death on the Titans and even in Gotham. Instead, it is mostly used as a quick plot creator and a reason to aggressively communicate that Bruce is, once again, terrible.

The emphasis on Bruce is clearly a ploy to emphasize Dick. Showcasing Bruce as terrible and doomed to be terrible is any easy way to make Dick look worthier. It also spurs the recurring theme through these three episodes that Dick should “be a better Batman.” This will surely set the course throughout the season for Dick to continue to go through turmoil as Batman’s legacy. There were moments in Season 2 where this dynamic truly shined for the show, but at a certain point it gets repetitive. Dick’s character and the series’ exploration and development of it is no doubt one of its best assets, but it’s coming at the expense of Titans being about Dick and Gotham City rather than the Titans.

Jason’s Red Hood is an OK villain so far. While his presence isn’t particularly menacing or frightening, he does commit significantly violent and sadistic actions at the beginning of his tenure which cements him as a formidable and serious foe for the Titans. While Jason’s change in character is just convincing enough, it falls short of being truly gripping or believable. Still, his more manipulative and puppet master-type edge is more interesting than his Robin. His role does bring forth more intricate detective-type work and storytelling than in previous seasons. It has the unfortunate tendency to drag, but when it’s at its best it can be compelling. In any event, it’s certainly an upgrade to the splotchy and often incoherent plotlines of the past.

Aside from developing a cohesive and streamlined story, the first three episodes have also vastly improved on their portrayal of their titular characters. Gar remains cheekily charismatic, and Conner, the newcomer, has been well implanted as his number one companion. The two have an innocent, childlike dynamic that suits both characters consistent with how they’ve been established in previous seasons. Honestly, the two—especially Gar—deserve more screen time based on how well they interact amongst themselves and as side characters in others’ stories. Perhaps more is in store for them later in Season 3. Kory, on the other hand, is very slowly improving, but the script never seems to give her much personality or even room to express one. Rachel is absent for the first time. To be honest, it wasn’t all that noticeable until it was mentioned in the show. While I’m sure the character will return from Themyscira bringing potentially several major plot lines to the table, her absence is letting Titans breathe and regroup at the moment following the overly ambitious Rachel-centered Season 1 and Rachel-heavy Season 2.

The greatest praise that can be given to these first three episodes is Hank’s arc. Hank and Dawn always had the problem of being two characters that did not exist without the other. True, their relationship was a driving force of Hawk and Dove, but neither felt overly interesting. In the brief space where the two were no longer a couple, Hank was given more screen time and the character was actually one of the more enjoyable to watch. He gained aspects of humor and even joy without losing his short-tempered and sturdier ways. He also had warm moments with several Titans that he normally would not interact with much. When Jason implanted the bomb in his chest, it initially felt like a generic beat-the-clock episode. It played out as one, but the ending took the bold step to actually kill Hank at the very moment all seemed saved. It was a little disappointing to see him and Dawn make up so quickly in the midst of it all after they had finally been released from the constraints of being attached, but ultimately it was all in favor of making Hank’s death actually impactful. For the first time in the series, a death actually felt like a loss. Not only did the Titans lose Hank, but they seemingly lost Dawn as well after she decided to leave following his death.

Episodes 1 through 3 delivered a solid start to Season 3, and are undeniably of higher quality and more enjoyable than Titans episodes have been in the past. It comes with the unfortunate tradeoff of losing focus on the actual Titans in favor of a Gotham-centered plot. The action is also noticeably missing so far from the series, particularly with respect to any hero whose powers rely on (less than ideal) visual effects. Where some is included, it’s perfectly decent, but there’s not enough of it to drawn from at this point.

August 13, 2021
‘KINGDOM’s Shinsuke Sato to Direct Live-Action ‘MY HERO ACADEMIA’ Film

It looks like movement has finally happened for the long-rumored live-action adaptation of the popular series My Hero Academia. Deadline has revealed that Shinsuke Sato, who many might know for his work on the Japanese film Kingdom, will direct the adaptation for Legendary. It’ll be an English version based on the popular manga franchise by Kohei Horikoshi. The series has been quite popular in Anime circles thanks to the work of Bones Inc. and Toho Animation. The series already released three animated films and it’s uncertain if this adaptation will follow the manga or take a unique approach.

In the manga and anime, we follow the story of a young boy named Dekul. In a world where 80% of humans have unique abilities, he wants to fulfill his dream of becoming a hero. Yet, the reality is much harsher and he learns that he is “Quirkless.” As such, he could never gain a special ability until he meets his idol, All Might. Known as the greatest hero in the world, he uncovers a secret that’ll change his life.

It would be strange to simply tackle the same story, as the world introduced in the franchise offers the opportunity to tell a unique story from a new perspective. Yet, it seems likely they’ll try and follow Deku’s story due to its close ties to its overall mythos. Still, the franchise tried out spin-offs with the Vigilantes manga, which further developed the rules a world filled with professional heroes abides by. Perhaps the film could do something similar.

Source: Deadline

August 13, 2021
‘SHANG-CHI’ Eyeing a $35M to $55M Domestic Opening Weekend

Disney has been going through some troublesome times. After Black Widow opened to an impressive $80M during the pandemic, many wondered what it might mean for their next release. The Delta Variant continues to spread, and people are even more hesitant to visit cinemas. Of course, it raises questions regarding the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in just a few weeks. Well, it looks like it could still garner an impressive Box Office for a pandemic, but it’s also a far cry from where the first 2021 Marvel Studios’ release landed.

As of now, the film is predicted to hit around $35M. The current optimistic ceiling would place it at $55M. If they ramp up the advertisement in the upcoming weeks, they might even push it up, but the film is unlikely to even get near a $200M domestic Box Office in its run. If it does manage to pass the $40M benchmark, it’ll be the first film since Black Widow, as most films faltered out around the $30M range. If it hits the top $55M prediction it would below Ant-Man, and The Incredible Hulk.

There’s some hope that the Marvel Studios’ brand will push the film to a higher rate even during uncertain times. Unlike the previous release, it won’t be available on Disney+ Premier Access, which might hurt its opening weekend but could give it much longer legs than other digital releases. It will have a 45-day release window before it gets released on Disney+, which will signal how Disney handles future releases moving forward.

Shang-Chi has a lot of potential as a franchise. Especially as it is an essential move for Asian-American representation. Hopefully, the film will manage to pass the ceiling, but it seems unlikely given the current circumstances. Even Black Widow missed its optimistic ceiling of $110M, but it could’ve been influenced by its digital availability. Its success might also determine Eternals release as others continue to push back films back. Right now, success can no longer get purely based on its Box Office alone, and it may find a larger audience on the streaming service once it releases.

Source: Box Office Pro, Polygon, Business Insider

August 13, 2021