Tag: Disney Plus

Kevin Feige Opens Up About Doctor Strange’s Original Role in ‘WandaVision’

It looks like WandaVision still had a couple of secrets that haven’t seen the light of day yet. The latest issue of Rolling Stone had an in-depth analysis of the Disney+ limited series. In it, Kevin Feige revealed that Doctor Strange was originally meant to appear in WandaVision but was ultimately written out. This change caused rewrites for both the limited series and the upcoming sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

He even revealed that he would’ve had a bigger role in the story. Interestingly enough, the “commercials” that appeared during the various sitcom episodes were originally intended to pose as messages to Wanda Maximoff from the Sorceror Supreme. These messages were Stephen Strange’s attempts at piercing through her sitcom pocket reality in WestView. They even mentioned that Marvel Studios had finalized a deal with Benedict Cumberbatch to appear in the final episode of the show before being ultimately written out. Feige went on to explain why the Sorceror Supreme was ultimately cut out:

Some people might say, ‘Oh, it would’ve been so cool to see Doctor Strange. But It would have taken away from Wanda. We didn’t want the end of the show to be commoditized to go to the next movie – here’s the white guy, ‘Let me show you how power works.

This scenario is similar to how Falcon and Winter Soldier briefly considered including Spider-Man in the finale but decided he didn’t fit into the series’ story. While we never had the opportunity to explore this premise in the show, it will be interesting to see if Marvel Studios plans to include this concept regarding Strange trying to intercept Wanda in the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sequel or part of the rewrites for the sequel will not include Strange being aware of Wanda’s abilities at all. Feige went on to describe the overall process of writing, plotting, and rewrites at Marvel Studios as:

[A] wonderful combination of very dedicated coordination, and chaos. Chaos magic.

Still, it doesn’t take away the fact that WandaVision was an excellent opener to Phase 4 of the MCU and fans certainly cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Wanda Maximoff, Doctor Strange, The Vision, and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Source: Rolling Stones via Movieweb

May 3, 2021
‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ Episode Count Revealed

While Marvel Studios takes a short hiatus until June, we have the next Disney+ Original keeping us busy in the meantime. To celebrate May 4th, Star Wars: The Bad Batch will start off a brand new story exploring the aftermath of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Up until its release, we were uncertain how many episodes we can expect and it seems we finally got our answer. In an interview with Cnet, the series writer Jennifer Corbett and supervising director Brad Rau offered some insight on the upcoming project.

Rau revealed that the first season will consist of 16 episodes. Interesting enough is that he does call it “season 1,” which may hint at a future addition that may already be in the cards. He certainly shared his enthusiasm to explore these characters further and continue the stories of this spin-off.

The episode count is quite interesting, as it is longer than the previous two seasons of The Clone Wars. while it isn’t the usual 22 that we commonly see in the animation, it seems they may have prioritized the story and adjusted the episode count accordingly. Unlike its prequel series, this series also focuses on a specific group of characters rather than jumping between different stories. So, they most likely can streamline their approach. It’ll be interesting to see how this show stands out from its predecessors and if some of the set-ups here might even find their way into live-action, as Ashoka Tano did in the last season of The Mandalorian.

Source: Cnet.com

May 3, 2021
‘Ms. Marvel’: Set Photos Reveal First Look at Iman Vellani in Full Costume

We’ve been waiting a long time for our first look at Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel in full-costume. In one of the first set photos, we got her in a Halloween costume inspired by Captain Marvel. Well, the set photos have finally found their way online, as Just Jared has shared our first official look at the actress in full Ms. Marvel gear on the set of the Disney+ show.

As we aren’t allowed to share these images, you can check out the images directly on Just Jared.

It is our best look yet at the iconic costume and it also seems to strongly match the drawings from one of the directors. Yet, there is one detail that is quite different. She isn’t wearing a purple scarf but the red one we know from her comic. perhaps this takes place after she meets Red Dagger and receives it from him.

Overall, the costume looks quite a bit more modern. So, we might see a homemade one at one point in the series. Even in the Marvel’s Avengers game, her first costume design was based on a burkini. So, it might develop as she grows into her powers. We don’t know yet how they will portray her Embiggen abilities and if they might explain how her costume doesn’t rip when she grows in size. We cannot wait until we get more footage, as we got a brief glimpse at the series in a small sizzle reel during Disney’s Investors Day.

Source: Just Jared

May 1, 2021
‘Secret Invasion’ Eyeing ‘Damnation’s Killian Scott in Undisclosed Role

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe expands, it continues to attract new talent to the franchise. According to Deadline, actor Killian Scott is currently in negotiations to join the upcoming Disney+ show Secret Invasion. He joins the ranks of Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn, who are reprising their roles as Nick Fury and Talos respectively. They will be joined by other newcomers, Kingsley Ben-Adir, who is rumored to play an antagonist, Game of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke, and The Crown actress Olivia Coleman. Killian Scott‘s role is being kept under wraps.

The upcoming Marvel Studios series’ plot is still shrouded in mystery. However, we can assume that the show will be an adaptation of the comic book event of the same name. In it, the Skrulls slowly infiltrated Earth and replaced several important individuals. They took over parts of the government and even our favorite heroes. As a result, they were pitted against each other in a thrilling event that questioned everyone’s identity. Anyone could’ve been a Skrull.

It is unknown if Marvel Studios plans to use any of its vast arsenal of heroes (or even villains) in the series, but as this stellar cast continues to grow and expand, we certainly can’t wait to see what Marvel has up their sleeves for the series. There is also the question of it might tie into the upcoming Captain Marvel 2, which first introduced the world to the alien species. We might even see the Kree make an appearance of some kind, who are no strangers to infiltrating worlds. Here’s hoping we get more info once production starts.

Source: Deadline

April 30, 2021
‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Finale Almost Included Spider-Man At One Point

In an ever-expanding franchise like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it almost seems like the possibilities are endless. You have such a long list of characters to choose from to explore the vast corners of the universe. Well, it seems that the Falcon and Winter Soldier team were just as ambitious when they were mapping out the story. At some point, they originally wanted to include Peter Parker in the season finale, as it took place in New York City. Well, it seems that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was the one to shoot down that idea. Malcolm Spellman revealed in an interview with Inverse:

Then Kevin Feige tells you, “No. Stop it.” Listen, when you first show up to these projects, in your mind you think you’re gonna get to use everybody in the MCU. But Marvel always asks, “Does this person belong in this story? You cannot just geek out and put all of our characters in your project because you like them. They have to occur organically.” So Spider-Man did not make it.

The inclusion of Spider-Man would’ve made sense with it being his home turf, but the approach says a lot about how Marvel Studios approaches their characters. Instead of forcing every hero to show up in every project, they need to fit the story organically rather than getting forced in. Falcon and Winter Soldier already included Zemo, Sharon, and the Dora Milaje. At one point, it could take away from Sam and Bucky’s story. It is interesting to note that Feige didn’t exclude the fact that Tom Holland‘s Peter could appear in the Disney+ show, which opens up a lot of other questions if you consider the recent dealings between Disney and Sony. We’ll see if more is to come to this aspect of the franchise. Luckily for Sam, he won’t be able to steal the shield again.

Source: Inverse via The Direct

April 30, 2021
REVIEW: ’22 vs. Earth’ is a Welcome Expansion of ‘Soul’

One of the great things about this era of Pixar is that they’re no longer catering their content to just kids. Sure, all their films since Toy Story have been four-quadrant endeavors. If you remotely have an imagination and appreciation for good stories, all their offerings are bangs for your buck. In the past few years, something started to change with these films. They became deeper and deeper as they grew bolder with their storytelling choices. The themes became darker and the subject matter explored existential questions. Much of this is in due part to Pete Doctor, director of Inside Out, Up, and last year’s Soul.

Soul was the encapsulation of all that. A wildly complex study on purpose, identity, and notions of what makes each of us whole. You know, all the kinds of ideas we’re terrified to examine as adults. But examine we did thanks to the mesmerizing pull of Soul. The movie was a hit critically, garnering numerous awards from multiple organizations, eventually winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The massive success amassed movie makes it all unsurprising that they decided further explore the Great Before in a brand new short titled 22 vs. Earth.

Directed by one of Pete Doctor‘s main collaborators, award-winning editor Kevin Nolting, 22 vs. Earth is a mini-examination of one of Soul’s main characters, 22, voiced by Tina Fey. We last saw 22 in the emotional ending of the film. She finds her elusive purpose after eons of waiting and makes her way to Earth, all thanks to her friendship with Joe Gardner. However, things are very different for 22 in this prequel. I’d argue even worse than when we meet her in Soul. She’s deeply bitter at all the souls finding their purpose like it’s no big deal. While that bitterness manifests in silly gags, her isolation is felt strongly here.

The short film almost feels like a deleted scene in many ways, which is unsurprising given how they tried working in the short film’s premise in the development process of Soul. While the short film could have functionally existed in the final cut of the film, it being a short film makes it work regardless.

But if there’s anything that 22 vs. Earth does better than Soul, it’s definitely the cute factor. I cannot stress how adorable the ensemble cast of souls they put together in this short. They all have adorable names (Macaroni is mine and will be everyone else’s favorite, no doubt) and wear domino masks to boot. 22 forms a coalition with them to stop souls from reaching Earth, dubbed as A.P.O.C.A.L.Y.P.S.E. which might give S.H.I.E.L.D. a run for its money as far as abbreviated organizations go. Their plan, of course, goes sideways in the most adorable ways possible.

22 vs. Earth doesn’t have the full emotional heft of Soul and I think that’s fine. This short film isn’t trying to replicate the tear-jerking moments of the film nor is it trying to explore the complexities and nuances of human identity. What it is: a charming vignette of what 22’s day-to-day life was like in the Great Before. We learn right away that she used to spend her days hatching adorable plans to stop fellow souls from finding their purpose. But despite the short film is a mostly cute affair, there is somewhat of an underlying emotion to the whole thing. A sadness that drives 22 to scheme as she does. She’s lonely and just wants to find someone lost like her. However, knowing 22’s eventual fate makes this period more striking.

All in all, 22 vs. Earth does the job of telling the untold tale of 22’s origin. It’s concise, charming, and most importantly, fun. Seeing all these characters, new and old (the soul councilors are here!), makes me wish there was a sequel in the works. But even if there never will be, this short film fills that void nicely.

April 29, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Malcolm Spellman Talks How Madripoor and Fontaine Were Added to the Series

We got a chance to talk with Falcon and Winter Soldier‘s head writer Malcolm Spellman, where our very own Charles Murphy discussed the introduction of a Marvel Comics icon, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She was played by the talented Seinfeld and VEEP actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Her character was originally going to premiere in Black Widow, but due to the pandemic, she ended up in the Disney+ series first. In the interview, Spellman revealed that Val’s character evolved in the writing room:

The way it happens was: Everything that Marvel wants you to create first and they want you to do it without worrying about it. Like, if there is obvious threads to the greater MCU, by you all put them in, they don’t oppose them on you. So, that character existed as a shady-ass CIA operative person as we were mapping out the story. Gradually, she became the Contessa, she became Val. We’ve already created the character first.

The way she is introduced, it seemed like they were setting up a team-up project shortly, especially with the potential of a Dark Avengers story being considered at one point. Well, it seems that Val’s introduction was only added later. It is great to know that they didn’t force any story elements into this series but rather added them organically into the already mapped-out story. He also confirmed the same happened with Madripoor.

That’s the same thing with Madripoor. Madripoor was described, it was named after a real-life city initially imagined as a real-life city where the restaurants on the streets serve endangered species and there are open gun bazars. Once we created that city, they smiled because they know, a nerd moment: “What if it is Madripoor?” and everyone freaked out.

It makes you wish you were in these meeting rooms when their faces light up the moment they realized they could introduce Madripoor. Of course, this does mean that if we want to see the character or the fictional city return in the future, it will depend on the story that is being told. It’ll be interesting to see what other projects end up carrying on the torch set by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

April 28, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Malcolm Spellman Reveals How Little We Know about Marvel Studios’ Future Line-Up

Our very own Charles Murphy got a chance to sit down and talk with Falcon and Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman. In a brief moment, they discussed the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the many threads that were left open at the end of the series. Spellman discussed briefly how fans agreeing with Daniel Brühl’s Helmut Zemo make him a popular candidate for more future appearances. Of course, there was also the discussion surrounding He also briefly discussed Sharon’s turn as the Power Broker and how it gives her more time in the spotlight.

So far, we only know that the fourth entry of Captain America is in development. There are some hints that Sharon’s story might potentially connect to Armor Wars, which you can read our theory in the following link. There was one interesting hint by the head writer that we really have no idea how big the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to become, as he states:

I was surprised about how few of the upcoming Marvel movies have been announced. […] Fans will start to become more and more clear as these projects get announced.

It looks like the many films announced for Phase 4 are just the beginning. We are aware of eleven projects with Black Widow kicking off the cinematic side of the franchise in July. If these are only a “few” of the upcoming films we might have content for many years to come. Kevin Feige. is famous for mapping out his projects far in advance, as he revealed in 2018 that he already planned films up until 2025. It’ll be interesting to see if we get some more announcements this year for what may await us beyond 2023.

Source: ComicBook.com (Films to 2025)

April 28, 2021
Kari Skogland Offers More Details on How the Pandemic Added to ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Story

We’ve all been theorizing about how the pandemic may have affected Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After the finale aired for WandaVision, Matt Shakman revealed that they had changed quite a bit and were only able to finish the finale shortly before it aired. They also had to cut down on quite a few stories, such as one involving Ralph Boehner and Monica Rambeau. Now, we wondered the same for Marvel Studios’ second Disney+ show and it looks like their story may have been only slightly affected, as director Kari Skogland revealed in an interview with Collider.

No. We started shooting in October of 2019 and we had shot about 75 percent [before production shut down]. So we really knew the story we were telling for sure. So when we shut down, we only had about 25 percent left to shoot. So I think the only story changes we made were small character tweaks.

They highlight a few scenes that got added, such as John Walker and Lamar talking about taking the super-soldier serum. They also added an extra sequence to dive a bit deeper into the motivation of Karli and the Flag-Smashers.

We had discovered that we really wanted to know Karli a bit more. So I think we added a scene between her and Dovich, where they got to just talk about what it was like to take the serum. I wanted to feel them and their history just a little bit and get a bit more inside how they were thinking and feeling in that moment.

Skogland does not talk about how their production had been affected. There was noticeable re-use of multiple locations for sequences, which could be part of the 25% that was shot once they returned to production. It is also noteworthy that she confirms that there was no removed pandemic subplot in the interview. Charles Murphy interviewed Skogland where she hinted at how the pandemic affected their production, as they jumped straight back into things once it calmed down. It looks like COVID gave them the chance to add some of the more human moments that made these characters stand out even more. It’ll be interesting if the pandemic may have also affected June’s Loki series.

Source: Collider via The Direct

April 28, 2021
Matt Lanter Hints at His Return as Anakin Skywalker in Future ‘Star Wars’ Projects

Hayden Christensen is returning as Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It’s the grand return of the actor in the role since 2005. We have been following the adventures of the young Jedi before he became Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Matt Lanter voiced the character in the animated series and breathed some new life into the character with his portrayal. Well, it looks like he might also return alongside Christensen in a new project. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly for Jupiter’s Legacy, he hinted that he will return as the character in the near future.

There’s some new Lucasfilm Animation going on. I’ve been a part of some things I can’t talk about yet. You’ll see Anakin again. I never quite put Anakin down, whether I’m doing a video game or something new for Lucasfilm Animation.

There is a good chance that he’ll return n May’s release of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, but it seems like there might be some more projects in development. We could see some more The Clone War spin-offs in the future, as Star Wars continues to expand in animation. He also hints at it potentially involving a video game. It would be interesting to partake in the Clone War from a gaming perspective as a Clone Trooper working alongside the Jedi. Perhaps we even get to revisit the time in a Jedi Fallen Order sequel. His return may also open up the door for Ashley Eckstein to return in the role of Ahsoka Tano. We might get more news once The Bad Batch releases on May 4th.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

April 27, 2021